Return of the Valkyries
by PsychicDreams
Summary: It's been two generations since Neo-Queen Serenity I stepped off the throne, two generations since the others put their henshin wands away for the rest of their lives. Until tragedy upon a high scale hits and only they can save Crystal Tokyo.
1. Chapter 01

Author's Note:

This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed FROM GalaxyJM@aol.com to Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you send an email to me to GalaxyJM, I won't answer it. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.

This story came about because I began to wonder what the Senshi would be like once Serenity I (Usagi) got off the throne. So…here ya go. Look for a sequel when this is done.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. Also, there are no Neo-Senshi or anything. That will all be explained later in the story. There are no other Senshi other than the ones we know in this story.

I thought it would be beneficial to add this chart here for you, so you can have a basic idea of the new people and faces.

Neo Queen Serenity I – Usagi

Neo Queen Serenity II – Chibiusa

Neo Queen Serenity III – Kynthia (Usagi's granddaughter)

King Endymion – Usagi's husband

King Helios – Chibiusa's husband

King Trion – Kynthia's husband

Crown Princess of Crystal Tokyo – Zoie (one-year-old)

Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)

Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)

Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)

Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)

Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)

Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)

Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)

Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)

For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.

_Return of the Valkyries_

_Chapter 1_

Usagi laughed as her former Inner Senshi danced to an upbeat music. She had enjoyed growing old, and so did her friends. Luna wound her way into her lap, her black fur a tad pale with gray. Artemis laid on the table, his tail twitching in time with the music and Minako's dance.

Rei's white, calve-length braid swept threw the air and the other three women ducked in a practice motion that was so fluid it looked to be an integral part of the dance. Ami's shoulder length white hair bobbed up and down as she laughed. Both Makoto and Minako, unlike the other two, had gray hair, the same length. Minako had cut hers some years ago, once she no longer became a Senshi.

Even now, Usagi thought of the secret area in the wall that held a dark cherry red box containing sixteen objects of power: the eight henshin wands of the Senshi and the cloak clasps for the eight Kings of Mamoru's, their version of henshin wands, her Senshi's husbands.

Her husband and his version of the Inner Senshi were out at the moment. She couldn't even begin to wonder where the Outer Senshi and their husbands were. Ever since they had set their henshin wands and clasps in that cherry red box, they had been on non-stop traveling. There was also not one person that had guarded her or her kingdom during her reign that still had their original hair color; it was all gray or white.

Setsuna had the one that had enjoyed getting her gray hair the most. When Usagi had asked why, she had explained quietly that it was because she had not once envisioned that she would ever grow old in the first place.

They all had reveled so much in getting old that they were thought strange, queer. But since they didn't live in the center of Crystal Tokyo's fair city, she didn't much care. She and the other Senshi just preferred quiet lives in the country and rarely left it.

Though there was always that constant anxiety about there being no Senshi to guard the Royal Family. A knock on the door and Usagi answered it. Her daughter, Usagi –though still constantly referred to as Chibiusa to avoid confusion- smiled at her mother. Her rose pink hair was just receiving strands of silver, the sign of older age.

Now, while Usagi loved her granddaughter and thought that she was doing a wonderful job at ruling Crystal Tokyo, she couldn't exactly say she approved of her husband or anything that her husband did. But if Kynthia loved her husband, who was she to say anything or make waves? Besides, she didn't have to see Trion all that much, if at all. All in all, the two of them avoided each other like the plague.

Mother and daughter, both retired rulers of Crystal Tokyo, joined the others back in the living room. Usagi wore a simple, extremely loose white affair that was made of the softest cotton that she'd ever worn. Now that she wasn't Queen, she didn't have to worry about what she wore. It trailed on the ground after her.

"We forgot one," Chibiusa said as she sat down.

"Forgot one what?" asked Ami as she sat the drinks on the small table in the center of the room.

"A picture of the Senshi."

They froze and Luna and Artemis's head came up. Diana ran into the room with the picture in her mouth. She dropped it on the table, her always gray hair just beginning to turn white.

Usagi picked up the picture, saddened at the need to take all the evidence, pictures mostly, of the Senshi away. It was a picture of her and Mamoru halfway through their reign, a baby Chibiusa in her arms with her Senshi smiling happily behind her. 

It was because of King Trion that her granddaughter knew nothing of their long and proud history. She knew nothing of the Silver Millennium, the Senshi, even her own grandmother's history before Crystal Tokyo. It was kept from her, because of her husband's attitude toward Usagi and her friends. He didn't like to acknowledge that they even existed and it would be dangerous to give that man any kind of information that could be used against them.

None of the Senshi's children or, especially, grandchildren knew that they had been Senshi. How they could have kept it from their children, she didn't know, but they never once connected, say, Sailor Venus to their mother, Aino Minako, not even as they grew older. Usagi didn't know how they did it, but they did.

Chibiusa and Helios were the only ones closely connected to the royalty that knew they existed. Usagi felt sad at the burden her Senshi had to bear. There had not even been Senshi for her daughter. By the time the Senshi's powers had matured enough to be split down to any children they might have had, it was already Kynthia's age of reign and with her husband, impossible with the need for secrecy.

"She's just missing so much, Mother," Chibiusa said sadly. "So much history and she's always asking questions that I would very much like to answer but can't."

She sighed. "I understand how you feel, but it is for the best. You go to the palace often, the only one of us who can stand Trion; how is my dear great granddaughter, Zoie?"

The others laughed at the bright light that shown in her eyes as she thought of granddaughter's child. Usagi's white hair only accentuated that brightness.

"Usako?" called a voice as Chibiusa finished describing the baby.

"Mamo-chan? We're in the living room."

A moment later, her husband, his hair gray going to white, entered with Kyle, Jared, Matt, and Zale at his heels. Jared waved his gray, shoulder length hair from his face and pecked his wife on the cheek. Zale, who had virtuously kept his gray hair the same length, huffed and sat down next to Ami. Kyle's silver hair shown white now, as he had aged. Matt also was white and tied in a braid.

Helios appeared a moment later, his naturally white hair still short but growing a tad shaggy. He sat on the arm of his wife's chair and held her close to him. 

"It's a good thing that our version of the constitution says the power of ruling must be shared and decisions made together. If it wasn't, Crystal Tokyo would be in ruins by now. That man has no ability to rule a kingdom, I swear," commented Jared.

"Give him a little credit, Jared," Usagi said gently. "Kynthia loves him."

"That's for sure, though I can't see how."

"Well I can't see how I love you sometimes," retorted Rei, "but I do anyway."

"Yeah, but I'm so much better than him."

Laughter filtered around the room. "When are the Outers supposed to get here again?" asked Minako.

"Day after tomorrow," Ami answered promptly. "They said they had a surprise for us."

"I wonder what it is?" Makoto pondered.

"We'll find out soon enough," Kyle said.

"Mother, I really wished you would come back to the city," pleaded Chibiusa. "Though I love coming out to the country, I can barely make the time what with Kynthia always asking advice on affairs of state. And you really want to see Zoie."

Usagi sighed again and leaned back in her chair. This was an old argument between them. "You know I would love to see Zoie, but Trion and I…Trion and all of us do not get along."

"We have to tell her eventually. Kynthia just thinks that you all are simply some eccentric friends of her grandmother."

The Senshi and Shitennou exchanged glances and looked at Usagi. "We can't," said Minako gently. "You know we would love to, but we can't even tell our own children."

"I'm sorry to keep bringing it up, but I can't help it."

"We understand."

There was a banging on the door and Usagi started. "Are we expecting anyone else?"

"Not that I know of," answered Luna and stood up to look out the window. If it was possible, she would have turned white at what she saw.

"It's Trion!"

"Speak of the devil," murmured Rei.

Makoto stood up. "I'll answer it."

Usagi fought a smile. Makoto knew very well that Trion hated to look up to her and was intimidated by her. It was because of some innate instinct as basic as the need for food when you were hungry.

Usagi strained her ears to hear what was going on in the hall by the door.

"Where is she?"

"There are many 'she's here. Which one are you referring to?"

"You know damn well which one. Kynthia's grandmother!"

Makoto sighed. "Why do want to talk to her?"

"That's my own business."

"I'm afraid that if you can't tell me why you want to talk to her, you can't."

Silence for a moment and Usagi could imagine Trion grinding his teeth together in frustration.

"I'll be back later. You'd better let me in then!"

The sound of a door slam finished the conversation. Usagi knew that if it had been any other than Makoto, he would have forced his way into her home.

"He's getting antsier as the days go on," Matt observed. "I think he can't wait until we all die."

"I almost want to live forever, just to spite him," Minako stated, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in her chair, watching in the window as Trion's car drove away.

"Don't say that," Usagi told her, without much conviction. She didn't like the way Trion was ruling her country. But she constantly had to correct herself whenever she thought that; it wasn't hers anymore. She was retired.

"You know," Zale began with a speculative look at her, "Aren* said he would talk to Trion for you, if you wanted."

Aren, or rather Adamite, was Haruka's husband, fifth in command to Mamoru's Kings. Unlike Kyle, Zale, Matt, and Jared, who had found the Senshi before Crystal Tokyo had been founded, the other four of his Kings had only come around after the first few years of the country thriving. 

It had never been confirmed as a fact to the others whether Haruka and Michiru were a couple* or not, but it was obviously not when Haruka had, against all odds and bets, married Aren, who had begun a ruthless campaign of courting her. It had all been blows at first as one by one he had accidentally stepped on subjects that the tall woman felt extremely strong about.

He was also the only one that Haruka had ever met that could beat her in physical combat or could bench more than her. The man was 6'1 with short, pale blonde hair that verged on dark silver and dark hazel eyes that smoldered with suppressed emotions. Oddly enough, the predominant eye color of their many children and grandchildren remained green.

"No, I don't want to interfere. It's none of my business anymore, remember?"

"You don't believe a damn bit of that nonsense that you just spouted, Usagi, so don't try to fool me," rumbled a deep voice in the doorway.

She whirled around to see Raine, or also known as Rhonite, Hotaru's husband, leaning in the doorway, a frown on his rough features. Though his hair was gray, it had originally been as blue as cobalt, darker than Ami's had been before, and about as long as his waist. His amethyst eyes blinked benignly at them, though Usagi knew that anyone other than them he would look upon with distrust. The only person he trusted above Mamoru and the other Kings was his wife. He had slowly come around to the other Senshi a few years after everything had settled. The man didn't place his trust in someone that he hadn't seen could be capable of upholding it.

He wasn't an especially tall man, but he held a fighter's aura. His torso was shaped like a lean bull and he had ruggedly handsome features, unlike his close friend, Cirocco, Setsuna's husband, who had what would be called elfin features.

"Raine! I thought you all weren't due for two more days!" exclaimed Rei with a jaundiced eye at her husband. He shrugged innocence.

"Our transportation was faster than we had thought they would be."

"With you in the car, who wouldn't be hurried to get you out? The driver thought you were going to turn around and eat him, I swear!"

Ian, a.k.a. Iolite, the love of Michiru's life, waltzed in with a smile on his face. He and Jared, the jokers of the Kings, shared a grin. They were disasters waiting to happen together, but to give them credit, they were also some of the hardest fighters in the group.

When he had been young, the artist's husband had often posed for his wife's paintings, since he was such a good 'subject'. He had had light brown hair that that went down to his neck that framed a good looking face. His sunset colored eyes only added to that sexy appeal he had. Now his hair was white and cut shorter, but he had lost nothing of his appeal. Michiru entered in just behind him.

Haruka barged her way in only to drop down on the sofa lengthwise, effectively claiming it as her own for the rest of the night. "So, how's our short fuse?"

Haruka constantly referred to Kynthia's husband as the 'short fuse' or 'the inept fool' though never around Usagi's granddaughter, on orders from her originally blonde friend, who she maintained would be the only Queen she held in her heart and would protect.

"Where are Setsuna, Hotaru, and Cirocco?" asked Ami politely as she made room for Michiru to sit down.

"They're coming," was Ian's vague reply.

"So what's our big surprise?" demanded Minako, who obviously couldn't hold her impatience any longer. Some things never changed.

"It's coming," replied Aren as he entered. He took one look at Haruka's commandeering of the couch and dragged her off it. A few pillow tosses and he was down, sitting diagonal from one end to the other. Haruka stood up, punched him in the side, and proceeded to make a pillow out of _him_! He only shrugged it off.

Usagi shook her head in amusement but didn't comment.

And then Setsuna, Cirocco, and Hotaru entered, each with an end in their hands of a large oak box. It didn't seem to strain them, carrying it, so Usagi refrained from offering to help. They set it down on the table.

"You wouldn't believe what we found! We just had to show it to you guys," Hotaru told them, giving Chibiusa a welcoming hug before sitting down. Hotaru's hair, once a dark black, was now a bright white and her always pale skin emphasized by it. 

Usagi quickly opened the box and gasped. The others crowded around and grasped her arms in their excitement.

One by one, the former Inner Senshi, guardians of the Royal Family I, pulled out the paintings inside the box with the gentleness of holding a baby. One was of a sunset of their city, Tokyo, before Crystal Tokyo had been created. And another had captured the Inner Senshi's enthusiasm as teenagers, as the wind blew their hair about on a small hill with a lake near it.

There were a few more, all of the past Tokyo, but none as touching as those. "Where did you find them?" whispered Usagi as her husband looked over her shoulder.

"In an antique shop in England, well two were there anyway," answered Cirocco. "The other two were found in America."

She looked up at Setsuna's husband Cirocco, a.k.a Cordylite. His white hair had once been a vibrant blood red color, but his gray brown eyes were still the same. He was wiry and thin, but with an aloof beauty, much like that of certain paintings of elves. Setsuna had been the other Outer, besides Haruka, to put up a fight against love when it saw her. But Cirocco had been calm and collected about her refusal. It was when he had gotten frustrated, finally, and said he couldn't be patient anymore with her and that he would no longer try to pursue her that she confessed she did love him.

"They're wonderful," Ami murmured.

"We thought you might say that," muttered Haruka proudly.

End Part 1

* - note on the new names and faces. Those names are also names of minerals, like Kunzite and such. I figure, if Mamoru's Shitennou had minerals as their names, might as well continue the tradition.

* - another note, I didn't put Haruka and Michiru together in this one for obvious reasons above. 


	2. Chapter 02

Author's Note:

This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed FROM GalaxyJM@aol.com to Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you send an email to me to GalaxyJM@aol.com, I won't answer it. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.

This story came about because I began to wonder what the Senshi would be like once Serenity I (Usagi) got off the throne. So…here ya go. Look for a sequel when this is done.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. Also, there are no Neo-Senshi or anything. That will all be explained later in the story. There are no other Senshi other than the ones we know in this story.

Neo Queen Serenity I – Usagi

Neo Queen Serenity II – Chibiusa

Neo Queen Serenity III – Kynthia (Usagi's granddaughter)

King Endymion – Usagi's husband

King Helios – Chibiusa's husband

King Trion – Kynthia's husband

Crown Princess of Crystal Tokyo – Zoie (one-year-old)

Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)

Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)

Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)

Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)

Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)

Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)

Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)

Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)

For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.

_Return of the Valkyries_

_Chapter 2_

Revelry sounded loud from the house, but any neighbors nearby weren't disturbed. Rather, they simply smiled and went about their business. They were a group and only when the other half came back was there that amount of noise. It amused the other older folks and the younger ones that came to visit simply shook their heads in wonderment and long-suffering patience.

Minako and the others all had houses for themselves to live in, but they were strategically placed for easy access to Usagi's. Never once had they been unable to make it to the other woman's home if needed in more time than a minute.

Not that there had been any call for that kind of timely arrival, true, but it never hurt to be prepared, did it?

Right then, they weren't preparing anything. They had quit preparing for any fighting a long time ago, when they put their henshin wands in that box that could only be opened by Usagi or Mamoru. Not even Chibiusa could open that box.

As a safe guard, in case the two previous monarchs couldn't or were unable to open it, Luna or Artemis could, but only under dire circumstances much worse than what would force the Senshi to arise again period.

Minako danced with all the enthusiasm of a sixteen year old at a party. She never tired of being in the retired Senshi's company. They were her family, they were part of her life, and if even one was missing, a part of her was missing. She always felt more complete with the Outers back, but they hardly ever stayed longer than a week or two. Their love of travel often kept them away, but when they came back, they kept the Inners and such in stitches with their stories, especially about Haruka and misunderstandings, as was wont to happen.

"Is this all you guys do when we're not here?" questioned Haruka, amused at seeing the Inners and their husbands dancing around gaily.

"Pretty much," answered Usagi with a smile as she sat at the table next to her.

The song ended and another started, but no one danced as they listened and grew sad. It was music that had been first heard when Chibiusa and the other children of the Senshi were 3 to 5 years old. 

That year, Usagi as Neo Queen Serenity had begged for a vacation for all of them, at one time. She had finally gotten it, though it had taken months of persuading the right people to do it. All the children had come along, as well as the Outers and all the husbands. The eighteen of them had enjoyed themselves immensely as they had traveled to the Hawaiian Islands. 

They had been on the beach when the 'natives' had begun to sing the upbeat song. Usagi had grabbed her Inner Senshi and danced, but soon the Outer women had been dragged in. With children running under foot, the nine women danced in their bathing suits, most of them bikinis, to music that was uplifting, amid the watching, laughing, and 'encouragement' from their husbands. 

 They certainly hadn't known a reporter followed and took pictures of the women dancing. It had been pasted on every front page paper for months. It hadn't helped the Senshi husbands' tempers to see other men drooling over their irresistibly beautiful and sexy wives.

But the girls got their green of jealousy and bad tempers when they found images of their men wearing only their trunks on the beach and laughing during the other various pages inside. She couldn't tell how many times Usagi had had to…'restrain' one of her Senshi, more specifically mostly Haruka and Rei, from flaying alive some poor woman as she said something about one of the men, more specifically their husbands.

Suddenly Usagi laughed and the tension and sadness was broken as smiles stretched faces.

"I see the whole troupe is here," said a voice Minako knew well. She turned around to see Kynthia standing in the doorway hesitantly.

Chibiusa waved her in. "Kynthia, what are you doing here?"

"Well I heard that the other half of you was coming back today and I thought I'd see what they brought you this time."

Minako looked at the others, smile gone. "They brought us a few paintings," answered Usagi truthfully.

"Really? Some of Michiru-sama's?"

"No, these weren't done by her."

"Can I see them?"

They looked at Chibiusa and she stood up, wrapping an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "Oh, honey, they won't mean much of anything to you."

"I guess so, then," she answered disappointed.

"Oh come on, let her see them," exclaimed Makoto. "It isn't like it's a secret about the place. She knows that much at least."

"All right, follow me then," Chibiusa said and led her daughter to a corridor the woman had never been in before, since it was considered the 'Senshi Corridor', where most of all artifacts of them, pictures mostly, were hidden. But the pictures of Tokyo were just at the front and the corridor was dark. She'd never see any paintings of the Senshi or pictures of them.

"They're pretty. Where is that?"

Chibiusa led Kynthia back to the large living room. "That is a place we knew long ago," Usagi replied.

"How is your daughter, Kynthia?" asked Hotaru as she gave her some tea.

Kynthia's natural silver hair, much darker than Kyle's used to be, shown brighter in the light. "She's fine, but pretty rambunctious though."

"I think that's a trait of all of the children of the Serenity line," commented Aren.

They laughed, but Minako knew that Kynthia, though she laughed lightly with them, felt left out. And though the others and her tried to make her feel welcome, she felt as an outsider would. It was because of all they had gone through together that made that kind of deep relationship, even Chibiusa. If she had known they were the Senshi, knew the history of the people in front of her, then maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't feel so alone, so left out, when she was with them.

Kynthia sighed and it drew the attention of the people there. "What's wrong?" asked her mother.

"Well, I'm extremely worried lately. There was an assassination attempt—"

"On you?" exclaimed Usagi in horror.

"Yes. But what disturbs me more is that during this, they tried to kidnap Zoie."

"They tried to kidnap the Crown Princess of Crystal Tokyo?" demanded Makoto, her gray hair flying around wildly, as it always reacted to her moods. Matt had once called it mood hair, right before she nearly zapped him with her Sparkling Wide Pressure. Needless to say, he had slept on the couch for the next week.

"Uh huh. If it hadn't been for your granddaughter, Makoto-sama, I would have died." Makoto's face turned stone. "Oh, she's all right, perfectly fine."

"What about the child?" questioned Haruka urgently, who was the most attached to children of all of them, though Makoto came in a close second followed by Setsuna.

"Michiru-sama's granddaughter held off the kidnappers until help could arrive to prevent the attempt. She is safe. For now."

Kynthia was holding back tears by the barest margin and she was immediately enveloped in Usagi and Chibiusa's arms. 

"Wait until I get a hold of those would-be kidnappers," Haruka growled menacingly as Makoto cracked her knuckles in anger.

Kynthia gave them a startled look, her thoughts of how useless they would be in a fight flashing on her face. It was then they remembered she knew nothing of their prowess in battle, their history as Senshi, or their constant, rather mild now, activities to keep in shape.

"But we don't need to worry. She's fine, isn't she?" Chibiusa asked a moment later when the silence went on too long.

"I hope so."

It was almost half an hour later that Kynthia excused herself and left back for Crystal Tokyo. Usagi looked at her Senshi. "Never once in the history of Crystal Tokyo have there ever been any assassination attempts on any ruling party until now."

"Could that be because there were Senshi?" murmured Cirocco.

Minako shook her head. "I doubt it. All of the ruling parties have been loved by the people, including Kynthia. It's only her husband no one particularly likes."

"Then why wasn't he targeted?" demanded Makoto.

The former leader shook her head. "I don't know. Chibiusa, we need you to be in the palace as much as possible, to let us know what's going on. I think Trion might know something about this; not that he arranged it, but I wouldn't put it past him to hear about an assassination attempt and to ignore such a thing as a farce because he's so full of himself. If that is the case, then we need to bring him down a peg to twenty."

"It seems you can take the leading away from the leader, but not the leader from the person," she commented with a lopsided grin.

"Huh?"

Ian laughed. "She means that you can not be a Senshi for nearly three millenniums even, and when given the opportunity like this you'll still act like a leader after all this time."

Minako colored a bit. "Well, it's because I did it for so long," she tried to use as an excuse.

"I sincerely hope this doesn't turn into anything," commented Usagi.

"I promise to do a fire-reading tonight," Rei told her.

Already Minako knew they were falling into the role of a Senshi, and so easily at that. What Chibiusa had said rang true: you could take the role away from the Senshi, but you couldn't take the Senshi away from the person. They had been given the slightest situation that could entail disaster and the Senshi part of them, which had been latent for two generations worth of ruling parties for Crystal Tokyo, had arisen with a vengeance. Minako hadn't realized how resentful Venus had been when she had put her henshin wand, and that part of her life, into that box, hoping never to see it open again.

And as sure as she knew it, so did Usagi. But she was worried enough about her great granddaughter to not tell Rei to not do a fire reading. With that sour note still in the air, the former Senshi, along with their husbands, left for their homes.

End Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 03

Author's Note:

This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed FROM GalaxyJM@aol.com to Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you send an email to me to GalaxyJM@aol.com, I won't answer it. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.

This story came about because I began to wonder what the Senshi would be like once Serenity I (Usagi) got off the throne. So…here ya go. Look for a sequel when this is done.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. Also, there are no Neo-Senshi or anything. That will all be explained later in the story. There are no other Senshi other than the ones we know in this story.

Neo Queen Serenity I – Usagi

Neo Queen Serenity II – Chibiusa

Neo Queen Serenity III – Kynthia (Usagi's granddaughter)

King Endymion – Usagi's husband

King Helios – Chibiusa's husband

King Trion – Kynthia's husband

Crown Princess of Crystal Tokyo – Zoie (one-year-old)

Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)

Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)

Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)

Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)

Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)

Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)

Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)

Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)

For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.

_Return of the Valkyries_

_Chapter 3_

Chibiusa stretched and opened the door she shared with her husband in the Crystal Palace. It wasn't the main bedroom of the royals, which was occupied by her daughter and her husband, but it was a special room that she had made when she had taken the throne, for her parents to stay there and advise her. It would never be occupied by Neo Queen Serenity I and King Endymion anymore, though. They had moved into the country just after the marriage of Kynthia and Trion, mainly because Trion and the others didn't get along together at all.

Helios was already out of the room and no doubt trying to ingratiate himself with Trion. Chibiusa seriously doubted he would get anywhere. Ever since he had met him, her husband had been trying to become friends with Trion (with the intention of trying to curb his attitude toward the Senshi) with absolutely no success whatsoever. 

"Momma! Momma!"

Chibiusa threw open the door, hiked up the skirt of her lavender dress, and ran full tilt down the hall. She recognized that voice at once and the only time it ever called her 'Momma' like a child was when Kynthia had reached some point in her life that terrified and upset her at the same time.

Dark silver flashed in the light coming from windows and a warm, shaking body barreled into her. Kynthia sobbed in her arms and Chibiusa did the best she could to calm her down, but it was hampered efforts since she didn't know what was wrong. 

"Kynthy, darling, please tell me what's wrong!"

"Zoie's gone!!! She's gone! I went to pick her up this morning and the room had been completely ransacked, totally demolished and little Zoie gone!" Her sobs punctuated her lamenting of her child harshly.

Chibiusa felt her body grow cold. "Kynthia, find your father and meet me at the front doors."

Kynthia looked up at the grim tone of her mother. She had never heard her speak like that, ever. "Where are we going?"

"To your grandmother's, now."

"Why are we visiting her? We should be helping Zoie, not going to see grandma Serenity. We have more important things to do! Why are we going there?"

"Because she has the only thing that can get your daughter back. Now go!"

Kynthia, tripping more than once from her long white dress, ran down hallway after hallway looking for her father. When he came into view and saw her, he dropped every single paper in the stack he was carrying and ran to her. "Kynthia, what's wrong?"

"Zoie's gone and Momma said to come get you. She said we're going to grandma Serenity's."

"I should hope so," her father replied, gripping her arm and towing her after him as he sprinted full out toward the front door.

"Why are we going there, Dad? What does grandma Serenity have that can help get Zoie back?"

Her father didn't say anything and they ran in silence to meet with Neo Queen Serenity II. He jumped in the driver's seat of the hover car and Kynthia snuggled into her mother's embrace to calm her down, frantic with the need to find her daughter.

The women didn't even wait until the car stopped before Chibiusa was jumping out, dragging Kynthia with her and yelling at the top of her lungs, "Mother! Father!"

The door was thrown open in a heartbeat by a white-haired person. "Kyle, please get my mother. We have a real problem."

Kyle took one look at Kynthia's distraught face and left them in the doorway. "Where is Kyle-sama going?" she whispered, too intrigued about what was going on than to cry anymore.

She had always had the feeling there was something different about her grandmother's friends, but she had no idea what it had been. By the way they acted, she knew her supposition was correct: whatever else her grandmother's friends were, they were prepared to act in a crisis.

Her mother, still gripping her wrist, pulled her along behind her as her father closed the front door. 

"What's the matter, Chibiusa?" demanded her grandmother on the arm of her grandfather.

"Zoie has been kidnapped, straight out of the palace last night. The room was ransacked and destroyed. Kynthia found it that way this morning when she went in to see her."

Serenity I gasped then her face grew forbidding. "Chibiusa, get the box from the hall."

Her mother's hand left her wrist and she covered her mouth with her palm. "Mother, you can't mean…!"

"I mean it. Kyle, bring the Outers here. Now."

"As you wish, Majesty." Kyle bowed with a fist over his heart and left the house.

_Majesty? Why'd he get so formal to my grandmother for? As far as I know, he hasn't done that before_, Kynthia wondered. _Who are the Outers? And what is this box for? Do we really have time for this? We need to get Zoie!_

"We will get Zoie back," her grandfather told her, reading her thoughts quite accurately.

"Usagi-chan, what's going on?" Minako asked as she came into the room.

Her grandmother turned to her then gazed at Kynthia without saying a word to her. Her mother came back with a cherry red, smoothly finished, wooden box that seemed to be seamless. Minako's eyes widened and she stared at her grandmother with something like horror in her eyes.

"Kynthia, I need the Ginzuishou. Please give it to me."

Kynthia looked into her grandmother's blue eyes and gulped. There was something in them that made her tremble, made her frightened deep in her soul though she knew her grandmother would never harm her. Her hand glowed as she called that round silver jewel and handed it to her grandmother. As soon as it floated above her hand, it changed into an inverted pyramid with a rounded bottom. Kynthia's eyes went wide. It had never changed shape for her before.

"That is because you have not gained the full access of its powers," murmured her mother. "I never did either."

"Then how did grandma…?"

"That is a long story." She would say no more.

The crystal glowed and her mother was dressed in a white gown that flowed past her feet. White wings were shaped by the material at her back. On her head sat a delicate crown made of silver and crystal and in her hands floated the Ginzuishou. A white staff with a diamond inflected crescent moon engraved just below a holder appeared in her left hand. Gently she set the Ginzuishou in the indentation on top of it. It fit perfectly. Oddly enough, her white hair glowed, flew up in the air, and when it floated down again, it was a beautiful blond color. 

"Helios, I need the Golden Crystal."

"Trion would never give you the Golden Crystal!" Kynthia protested, knowing her husband full well. 

"It doesn't matter if will give it or not," her grandfather told her gently. "Helios, before becoming King of Crystal Tokyo, was once a priest of Elysian. As such, he can take the Golden Crystal from anyone, even such as I."

"Priest of Elysian?" she repeated, baffled.

"As you wish, Your Majesty." Her father knelt and held out both of his hands, cupping them in front of him. A golden light she knew well appeared and that round golden crystal formed. He handed it to the taller man and it too changed. It became the same size and shape of the Ginzuishou in her grandmother's hands.

It glowed golden and his clothes formed into a black suit with the symbol of a rose on the lapel. His cape flowed down to his feet and on the inside it was a garnet color. On his head, a golden crown appeared with normal spikes, but at the very center of it was a golden sword, the hilt shaped like a rose. A black staff appeared in his hand, topazes and ambers embedded around an empty holder near the top and down its entire length. The staff itself was about as long as his torso, perhaps longer. The Golden Crystal settled on top of it. His gray hair flashed gold and it was midnight black and silky looking.

"Why…?"

"Trion will _never have the full access to the powers of the Golden Crystal, and unfortunately neither did Helios."_

Kynthia's pale sky blue eyes stared at her grandfather, but she couldn't find anything to say. Her father stood up and a tense silence filled the air while they waited for the 'Outers' to come, whoever they were. Makoto, Rei, Ami, Zale, Matt, and Jared entered slowly. They took one look at the box on the table and whatever they might have said was chased from their minds apparently.

"Zale-sama, what is going on?" Kynthia asked.

Zale's green eyes locked with hers. "War."

She turned hesitantly to Rei, whose hands were clenched fists. "Rei-sama, what's the matter?"

"I felt something last night, but I didn't even give it a second thought. I should have jumped from my bed and came to the palace!"

"How—"

The front door burst open and Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, Hotaru, Kyle, Ian, Aren, Raine, and Cirocco came in, fury in the tall woman's steps. "What's going on?"

"Haruka-sama," Kynthia sobbed, "Zoie is gone, kidnapped last night."

"All right. Hurry up and tell me who it was so I can kill him."

"Haruka-san," her grandmother said quietly and she looked at her. "Please, I have something to ask of you all. I hate to do this to you, which is why I'm asking instead of—"

"We know, Usagi-chan," Minako said gently. "We already agree."

"Thank you."

Her grandmother turned to the chest that her mother was holding and touched a finger on the top of it. Her grandfather followed suit. Luna, Artemis, and Diana wound their way into the room and sat down, looking grim, if it was possible for cats to do so. 

The box glowed iridescently for a moment and then a seam appeared. Of its own accord, the newly formed top opened to show nine strange pens and cloak clasps of various colors. This was what was going to save Zoie? A bunch of pens and cloak clasps?

Before she could say anything angrily, Minako stepping forward caught her attention. She watched an orange pen as if mesmerized. Slowly she picked it up and a smile crept its way onto her lips. She held up in the air and yelled, "Venus Crystal Power, Make-UP!"*

Orange and yellow ribbons and stars flowed around her and her clothes dissolved. Her body wasn't that of an older female, but that of young, mature woman. Her gray hair turned a paler version of her grandmother's and a red bow formed at the back of her head. More hair seemed to materialize and flow down to waist. She had pale yellow, puffy sleeves, a star in front of the bow on her chest, a two-layered skirt of two yellow colors, and white boots with stars edging the yellow colored strip. 

She posed with an arm raised in the air, wearing that strange outfit. Then she knelt on one knee in front of her grandmother.

"Your Majesties, Sailor Venus, Soldier of Love and leader of the Sailor Senshi for Neo Queen Serenity I."

Minako's husband stepped up to the box and grabbed a pale coral cloak clasp. It practically exploded with light and with a swirl of dark gold he was dressed in a uniform Kynthia had never seen before, complete with gray cape. His pants were black as well as his boots, but his jacket was a dark gray lined with even darker silver than her hair, verging on black. His hair, once white, was now a pale silver color. He knelt in front of her grandfather.

"Your Majesties, Heavenly King Kunzite, Chief Tactician and leader of the Earthen Kings for King Endymion."

And as if it was a floodgate, all of her grandmother's friends stepped up. In various colors, they were different, each changed. And no longer were their hair in various shades of gray and white, but in a variety of colors. The females of the group all had outfits like Minako's, but in various and obviously signature colors.

Ami, her hair a dark blue and short around her face, knelt. "Your Majesties, Sailor Mercury, Soldier of Wisdom and Chief Tactical Advisor for the Sailor Senshi of Neo Queen Serenity I."

Rei, her hair grown shorter too and a black with purple highlights, knelt. "Your Majesties, Sailor Mars, second-in-command of the Inner Guard, Soldier of War and Chief Spiritual Advisor of the Sailor Senshi for Neo Queen Serenity I."

Makoto, her hair done in a ponytail and longer yet shorter, brown as the earth, knelt before her grandmother. "Your Majesties, Sailor Jupiter, Soldier of Protection and Chief Offensive Coordinator of the Sailor Senshi for Neo Queen Serenity I."

Haruka, shocking Kynthia with her show of rare subservience, knelt on one knee as well. Her hair was now sandy blonde. "Your Majesties, Sailor Uranus, second-in-command of the Outer Guard, Soldier of the Skies, and Head of Intelligence for the Sailor Senshi of Neo Queen Serenity I."

Michiru's hair shown turquoise in the light and was shorter than Kynthia remembered it to be. She knelt next to Haruka. "Your Majesties, Sailor Neptune, Soldier of the Depths and Chief of Palace Security for the Sailor Senshi of Neo Queen Serenity I."

Hotaru and Setsuna knelt at the same time. Setsuna's hair was a dark green, but a good degree shorter than it had been, flowing a bit past her waist. Hotaru's hair was black, like Rei's, but only around her neck length.

"Your Majesties, Sailor Saturn, Soldier of Death and Rebirth and Head of Investigation for the Sailor Senshi of Neo Queen Serenity I."

"Your Majesties, Sailor Pluto, Soldier of Revolution and Head of Perimeter Security for the Sailor Senshi of Neo Queen Serenity I."

Kynthia was reeling with shock, but it wasn't over yet. The husbands of her grandmother's friends each grasped a cloak clasp of a different color. They each changed into strange uniforms with black pants and black boots. The only differences were piping on their jackets and none had cloaks like Kyle.

Matt knelt down in front of her grandfather, his hair color matching that of his wife's. He wore a dark gray jacket with burgundy piping. "Your Majesties, Heavenly King Nephrite, second-in-command, Chief Spiritual Advisor for the Earthen Kings of King Endymion."

Jared's hair had somehow miraculously been cut in the space of five seconds and it was now as blonde as the sunlight streaming in through the open windows. The color piping on his jacket was a dark blue. "Your Majesties, Heavenly King Jadeite, Chief Offensive Coordinator for the Earthen Kings of King Endymion."

Zale's hair resembled spun gold tied with that same green ribbon that matched his eyes. Green piping adorned his jacket. "Your Majesties, Heavenly King Zoisite, Chief Technological Advisor of the Earthen Kings of King Endymion."

Dark silver hair returned to Aren and dark hazel eyes fumed with anger. Black was his color piping. "Your Majesties, Heavenly King Adamite, Chief of Security of the Earthen Kings of King Endymion."

Cobalt hair, much darker than Ami's and about as long as his waist defined Raine. Like his amethyst eyes, his color piping was a pale purple. "Your Majesties, Heavenly King Rhonite, Chief of Intelligence for the Earthen Kings of King Endymion."

Cirocco's vibrant blood red hair color drew her attention, but his gray brown eyes were still the same. His color piping was a dark brown. "Your Majesties, Heavenly King Cordylite, Chief Sage for the Earthen Kings of King Endymion."

Ian had light brown hair that that went down to his neck that framed a good looking face. His sunset colored eyes glinted angrily with steel underlying them. The color piping on his jacket was a dim aquamarine. "Your Majesties, Heavenly King Iolite, Chief Sniper for the Earthen Kings of King Endymion."

"What…?" stuttered Kynthia.

"Stand up, dear friends," her grandmother motioned. "I need your help. We must get my great granddaughter back."

"We promise we will," answered Minako.

"Minako-sama…what's going on??"

The blonde looked at her. "When you see me like this, I am Sailor Venus. Please do not call me Minako; only Venus will answer."

"But aren't you both the same thing?"

"Yes and no."

Her grandmother wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "I promise we'll get Zoie back. And the Senshi will help us. There are no better people to do this."

"Senshi?"

"It will all be explained on our way to the palace. I'm afraid, though, that the only way the Senshi will help you is if Trion is not in a ruling place at this terrible time."

"I don't understand…"

Serenity I looked deeply into her eyes. "Kynthia, will you step down temporarily and let me take the throne until we get Zoie back?"

Kynthia, her eyes tearing up at the thought of her daughter, murmured, "Of course, grandma Serenity. I know I'm young and I know you would know what to do in a situation like this."

"You are not so young anymore; you have wisdom if you know enough to know when you need help and what conditions to agree to."

Kynthia managed a confused smile at her grandmother and the strange people behind her. 

End Part 3.

*I know that the Crystal Power transformation is different than the fuku, but let me explain. I went searching on the internet to find out for certain if they turned like that, eternal, by yelling out eternal power or something. Turns out, they don't, not in the manga, which I'm…going by to some extent. Crystal Power also turns them into their 'Star' form in the last arc of Sailor Moon, which I think is their final form. So…there you go. Just think of them in the eternal Senshi form that you find in fics like that.


	4. Chapter 04

Author's Note:

This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed to Guardian4@atlantic.net. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. 

Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)

Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)

Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)

Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)

Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)

Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)

Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)

Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)

For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.

_Return of the Valkyries_

_Chapter 4_

Kynthia found herself filled in on everything about her grandmother during the ride back to the palace, a crash course in history so to speak. A part of her wanted to deny what she was told; that her grandmother simply had eccentric friends at best, but she knew it was true. She had witnessed the transformation from an eccentric old woman back to a young, elegant warrior with her own eyes and Kynthia trusted her own eyes, if nothing else.

"Trion isn't going to like this," she muttered under her breath.

"Trion does not have a choice," Makoto told her, rather sharply.

"Makoto-sama—"

"Call me Jupiter until I tell you otherwise. Same with the others."

Kynthia nodded, perplexed. She simply shrugged after a moment of thought. It didn't matter; she still thought of these people as the unusual and strange friends of her grandmother and they were prone to say weird things.

"Kynthia, what is the meaning of this?" her husband demanded as she walked in beside her mother, all following behind the Royal Family I. 

"Zoie was kidnapped and I asked grandmother to help," she explained.

He noticed the staff in her grandmother's hand with the Ginzuishou. His eyes widened and immediately tried to call on the Golden Crystal. Her grandfather waved his rod a bit to draw his attention and he growled in anger. 

"Both of your times are over! Give me the Golden Crystal back. I will get my daughter back my own way!"

"First of all," her grandmother started, "she is not only your daughter, but Kynthia's as well. Also, need I remind you that Zoie is my great granddaughter? I will get her back. For right now, though, all you need to know is that, temporarily, we will be taking back the thrones."

She stressed 'temporarily', but it didn't make much difference. Trion drew himself up as if she had hit him. He marched toward her, but in a quick movement, Rei, Makoto, Ami, and Minako had placed their bodies in front while their husbands surrounded their back.

"Stay back or we will be forced to hurt you," Minako said quietly.

"And who are you exactly?" he sneered, his eyes trying to place her.

Kynthia didn't understand how he couldn't see it so she opened her mouth to enlighten him. A hand immediately dropped to her shoulder and she looked up into her mother's ruby red eyes. She gave an imperceptible shake of her head.

"We are the Sailor Senshi."

"The Sailor what?"

"We shall not repeat ourselves," responded Ami coolly.

Trion analyzed the people in front of him and realized that he didn't have a choice about this 'temporary' taking back of the throne. Serenity I was always trying to unseat him and she had finally decided to make her move. But he would make his move when she least expected it. He would bide his time.

"Fine." He stalked from the room, pushing past the dignitaries who watched the proceedings in shock.

Gracefully, Usagi and Mamoru settled back on the thrones and motioned for the Senshi to come forward. They did, all kneeling before the monarchs.

"Venus? I am at a loss as to what to do," she admitted. "Strategy has never been my strong point. I would ask you to look for Zoie, but I need some of you here to protect the palace after that attempt. I am sure they will try again eventually."

"If I may, my Queen?" Usagi nodded. The leader of the Senshi and the leader of the Kings stood, their shoulders touching somewhat, but showing as if they weren't even aware of it. "I suggest that the Inner Senshi and the Shitennou remain at the palace to guard and tighten security. I would also suggest that the Outers and the rest of King Endymion's warriors be sent to look for the Crown Princess."

Usagi nodded and Venus and Kunzite bowed again. "Agreed."

The Outer Senshi and their husbands stood, but before they left, they locked eyes with two on the thrones. Uranus and Adamite stepped forward. "My Queen, my King, you have our word on our henshin wands and our guardian planets that we will bring your great granddaughter back, even at the cost of our lives."

Jupiter sucked in breath at their oaths. Swearing on the henshin wand? And on top of that, to swear on the guardian planets? If they did not succeed, their henshin wands would break, their guardian planets turning from them, and they would die. They were staking their lives for Serenity, because it was something that she wanted above all else.

Usagi's eyes filled with tears, but she could not tell them to retract their oath now that it was said. For one, it would only bring dishonor to them and for another, it would kill them faster. "So be it. We thank you, Outer Senshi, Kings."

The eight of them made their way silently out of the throne room. The Inner Senshi and Shitennou stood.

Endymion cleared his throat. "Venus, Kunzite, I would like you to be head of security for the palace, at least for the time being that we are on the throne. Jupiter, I would like you and Nephrite to train the palace guards. Mercury, Zoisite, I would appreciate it if you would set up the palace's computer network security. And Rei and Jadeite, I would like you to investigate around the palace and see if you can't find any other information about the kidnapper and/or the whereabouts of Princess Zoie."

"Majesty," they said, clapping their fists over their hearts and bowing to their monarchs. 

As Jupiter watched from the corner of her eye when she moved away, she saw Chibiusa lead a still distraught Kynthia from the room. Slowly the visiting dignitaries moved towards the thrones and engaged the monarchs in conversation and diplomatic matters.

She turned to her granddaughter, who was standing at attention behind the thrones, as obviously assigned.

"You are head of the guard then?" she asked.

Her granddaughter, Asnee, turned to her respectfully. "Yes…?"

"You may call me Jupiter. Get the guard together and come down to the training area. I want to see what I have to work with before I begin training you."

"But Jupiter-sama, who will protect the King and Queen?"

Jupiter gave her a merciless smile. "Don't worry about them; they are well protected." She looked over to the monarchs to find that the Shitennou surrounded them in a protective half circle. She knew that the Inner Senshi would rotate guard duty in the throne room with their husbands when it came to time to relieve them. That was why one Inner Senshi and one Shitennou were assigned the same duty; it left no area that had been specified unattended at all.

"Just the four of them?"

The brown-haired woman's gaze snapped back to Asnee and she favored her with a cool look. "They are better fighters than the whole of the palace guard put together."

Asnee's temper flared, her eyes flashing. "I'll have you know that I trained the guard myself and learned from my grandmother how to fight, who is the best fighter in the world!"

Jupiter smiled, still a little ruthless. "Then bring the guard down to the training center and we'll see if you do your grandmother justice."

The lightning Senshi stalked out of the room and down to the training grounds. She knew the guard would be there shortly. Her granddaughter would not be able to resist that taunt.

And she was right. The guard trooped down the way to her and waiting as she scrutinized them, shifting their weight uncomfortably.

"Well you certainly don't look like much," she told them, pacing with her critical eye still fixed on them. "Let's hope you fight better than you look. You, you said you were the captain of the guard. Fight me and we'll see if you are worthy of being called that."

Asnee burned with anger; Jupiter could see it in every fiber of her being. The Soldier didn't go easy on her; she wanted to truly find out just how well her training of her granddaughter sunk in.

She went down in three seconds flat. 

Jupiter could barely believe it. How on earth could this girl have come from her genes? "That was pathetic," she said, truly shocked. "Completely pathetic."

"And why are you so shocked?" muttered Asnee as she picked herself up off the ground. "Weren't you expecting me to lose?"

"Yes, but certainly not that quickly. I would have hoped the training your grandmother taught you would have sunk in better."

"Don't speak of my grandmother to me! Besides, what do you know about her?" she demanded irately.

"I know your grandmother well and she would be extremely disappointed by that display if she were here." Asnee grumbled while Jupiter turned to the rest of the guard who were, at the least, mortally terrified. Asnee was the strongest of them and for her to go down as fast as she did…It did not bode well for them.

"Listen up, you sorry lot. I am Sailor Jupiter, Soldier of Lightning and Protection for Neo Queen Serenity I. You may call me Jupiter or Sailor Jupiter. Nothing else, do you understand?" They nodded fearfully. "Now the Queen has asked me to train you and that I shall, but what you must understand is that under no circumstances will I go easy on you, especially you Asnee. In fact, I will work you even harder than the rest BECAUSE I know your grandmother. I know her and I expect more from you than them. I will tolerate no fooling around on my time with you. This may seem more than a bit harsh, but with only half of the Senshi's numbers here, an assassination attempt, and the princess kidnapped, times are hard and I will not tolerate another failure in my ranks. You will consider any other Senshi or Shitennou to be your superior. If they give you an order, you are to follow it as if it came from my mouth, do you understand?" They nodded. "Good, now let's get started."

Later, the guards dragged themselves to their rooms exhausted and they knew it was just the beginning.

"Here, I broke these out from storage," Venus said as she rummaged through a box. Triumphantly she showed the rest of them the communicators they had used when they had still patrolled the palace. It had been inspired by Mercury's headpiece when she was a Soldier.* It was so much easier just to have it settled on one's ear with the microphone set before the mouth to talk. They never had to worry about it knocked from their hand in a battle before they had a chance to call in the others. Also partly inspired by the Starlights' henshin wands/headsets.

"This should allow us to let the other group know when we're rotating guard duty of the Royal Family," she continued.

Jupiter gave Nephrite a sidelong glance. She had been training the palace guards for nearly a week and she had realized early on just how hard a job she and him were going to have. Apparently the fighting lessons that she had given Asnee had NOT sunk in appropriately. She had shown and taught the entire guard the wrong way to fight. Now, not only did she have to teach them, she had to UN-teach them before she could even get to the real teaching part. 

It was crucial that the palace guard was trained properly as soon as possible, but it was going very slowly. The guards, thought to be the best fighters in the entirety of Crystal Tokyo, were, in her opinion, some of the worst. She didn't know how many times she had to baby-sit a fighter because he couldn't do the move with his sword and could cut off a limb if she didn't watch him closely.

She was more patient with them than she knew Nephrite would be. He tolerated no failures. If you didn't learn it the first time, you weren't good enough. The only one Jupiter could think was more critical than him would be Kunzite or Venus. 

"When do you have the guard come down to the training area, Jupe?" questioned Nephrite as they settled the headset on their ears and walked away. 

"From 6:00 in the morning to 7:00 at night. I tell them when they leave to go straight to sleep since they'll be getting up at least as early as 5:00 so they can get ready and awake before 6:00 when I train them."

"No wonder they're nearly dead on their feet most of the time," he commented. "How's our Asnee doing?"

Jupiter opened her mouth to answer when she felt a pair of eyes on her. She turned her head to tell Nephrite, but he simply raised his eyebrows. It was enough to let her know that he had known before her. And from the question, she could tell it was Asnee. It was why he had asked.

"Not as good as I would have hoped," she truthfully, and reluctantly, admitted. "I had thought what her grandmother taught her would have made her an already trained, and good, fighter."

"She probably is, but she's going up against a Senshi's credentials here. She'd have no chance, even if she was."

"I don't know. Sometimes I think so, and then other times, when I watch her, I think she's just not cut out to be a fighter. You'll see what I mean tomorrow."

"Guard change," he nodded. "So what's really bothering you about Asnee?"

"Whether she is a fighter or not aside, she's trying to be one, and hard. But I've noticed one certain thing: it doesn't matter whether the teaching her grandmother sunk in or not."

"Why not?"

"Because she can't be her grandmother. She's trying to be her grandmother, mimicking every move she knew how she would do it, instead of making her own style. I'm teaching her the basics, but she's not taking it and making them her own. She's trying to be her grandmother. She doesn't realize that are physiological differences between the two of them; that maybe the move her grandmother showed her that doesn't work for her isn't because she isn't doing it right, but rather that she physically _can't."_

"Perhaps you can talk to her about it?" he suggested.

Jupiter shook her head. "I can't. I think it would break her heart for one, and for another, I don't think she would listen. She's too resentful of me to listen to anything I say. She's not putting her whole heart in learning the training I'm trying to teach because she thinks her grandmother's way is better."

Nephrite turned so that his back was to where Asnee was hiding quietly. 'She doesn't know that the way is the same,' he mouthed and smiled. She managed to smile back.

There was a shuffling of feet and Asnee was gone. 

"How much of what you just said was true?" he asked her, serious and the rare smile he had nowadays disappeared.

"Everything. Everything I said was the truth. I had thought that this would be the only way to tell her this without telling it to her face, though now I wonder at my decision and if it was the right one."

Nephrite put his hand on her shoulder and tilted her head to look up at him. His chocolate eyes stared into her worried green orbs. He gifted her with a gentle and reassuring smile. "Don't worry; I'm sure you made the right decision."

Then his lips met hers and she wrapped her arms around his neck. They didn't have much time to be husband and wife nowadays either; the warrior/warrior relationship had pretty much taken over from the husband/wife relationship. Jupiter and Nephrite were making Makoto and Matt pay dearly for taking up so much of their lives in those forms without the Soldier part. Jupiter was very reluctant to allow Makoto anything, especially the chance of wife/husband relationship. Even more now that they had a crisis on their hands.

They pulled away reluctantly and Nephrite made his way down to the training area. The guard was already there and waiting. When they saw him, they exchanged glances, most of them hopeful that they wouldn't have to train today. 

"I don't think so, boys," Nephrite said loudly, catching everyone's attention. "Jupiter has trained you for a week. Rotation has been implemented and now you are mine to train for the next week. Next week you shall have Jupiter training you, the week after, I. Do you get it?"

They nodded, resigned.

"Good. Now, I have been updated by Jupiter as to the current situation, training wise. I might tell you now that you will recall Jupiter's training sessions in fond regard comparing to what you will be encountering under my command. In short, you will be run through the mill several, several times before you leave my training grounds every day that I have with you. Now, Captain Asnee, come here."

His granddaughter approached him with a sullen expression, one that told him everything he needed to know about her emotional wellbeing. She had not taken kindly to his wife's words. 

"I do know your grandmother as well. I also have on good sources that you are good with the axe at your back. Let us see."

Asnee grabbed the axe at her back. "I should let you know that my grandmother didn't teach me in the axe. My grandfather did."

"Really? And how did you take to it?"

"Honestly?"

"Yes, honestly."

"I did excellent, if I do say so myself."

"Well, we'll see if I concur."

And the two fought. It wasn't a particularly long sparring match between them, and it was grueling on Asnee's part. Every move she made, he countered with lightning speed. Every opening he left, she was never able to take advantage of. Every move he made, she barely had a chance to counter and sometimes she got bad knocks because she wasn't fast enough.

Soon enough she was on her back again, and staring up into the sky again. This was all too familiar of her sparring match with Jupiter. At least she lasted longer against this one.

"Not bad, but not great by any means."

Asnee climbed to her feet. "Sir, might we know what to call you?"

He cocked his head at her. "You may call me Nephrite or sir."

"Very good, sir."

And so the training went, hour after grueling hour. Asnee was on the break of rage. Both Jupiter and Nephrite had the gift of simply looking at them that conveyed disdain and pity for their lack of _suaveness_. It grated on her nerves, also knowing what Jupiter had said about her. She was NOT trying to be her grandmother! And what possible physiological differences was there between her grandmother and herself that made her grandmother able to do some of the moves that Asnee couldn't? They were related, for crying out loud!

When training was let out and the exhausted guards left, Asnee was only filled with righteous anger. She felt no tiredness, no exhaustion. Only a rage that needed to be vented on the person who she resented the most: Jupiter.

She stalked into the throne room where she found Jupiter and her like. None of any generation of the Royal Family was there. One like Jupiter, only in red, spotted her by the doorway, her entire form tense and ready to fight or vent. She surreptitiously tapped Jupiter on the shoulder.

Asnee was nearly upon her when she turned to her.

"Yes, Captain?"

"You…!" Her voice was shaking with rage, something she was unable to control. She couldn't explain why she felt so resentful of her presence. Nothing she had said would have had that sort of effect under normal circumstances. Were circumstances so far from normal that it would affect her very behavior? What on earth was wrong with her?

"Yes, me. What is it you need, Captain?"

"I…I…" Asnee let out a scream of rage and thrust her fist toward the taller, older woman's face.

It was caught in a gloved hand. "Did you come here just to do that?"

"I…no…yes…I don't know, but I do know….that…you have no right to treat us like you have!"

"Jupiter, what is she talking about?" said one in orange sharply.

"I have no idea, Venus," Jupiter said, her whole body astonished.

The one in orange approached her slowly, a commander's air about her. "Captain, I am Sailor Venus, leader of the Sailor Senshi. Tell me, what has Jupiter done that you think she has treated you badly?"

"I…I…ooh, everything!" Asnee wrenched her fist from Jupiter's hand. "She gets the guards up at 5:00 in the morning, has them training at 6:00 a.m. sharp, and doesn't let them out until 7:00 at night with no breaks. She has the whole condescending tone and can look at you as though you can do nothing right even though you're trying with your whole soul. I hate her and if you must have the guards train, give us someone else!"

Jupiter's mouth dropped open and she stumbled back as if Asnee had hit her. Asnee looked at her in surprise and even shock when she saw the tall woman's eyes tear up. She fled from the room a moment later. 

"Jupiter!" cried out the red one.

"Mars, Mercury, go find her before Nephrite does. It won't matter if it's true or not, or WHAT kind of relationship Asnee has with her, he'll tear into the guards mercilessly as payment for making her upset."

"He would harm the guards?" demanded Asnee as the two left the room at a dead run.

"Not harm, but wear them out so they can barely breathe."

"He would do that for his comrade?"

"Yes," Venus answered, surprised. "She's his wife."

"She's married to him??" Asnee's jaw just about dropped to the floor.

"Yes. Now, even if I were inclined to have Jupiter trade duties with another, I cannot. By the King's orders, she and Nephrite are to train the palace guards."

"King Trion ordered that?" she asked skeptically.

"Of course not. King Endymion."

"…Oh."

She gave her a speculative look. "Does your allegiance fall to King Trion?"

Asnee looked away from Venus. "My allegiance falls to Crystal Tokyo."

"And if King Trion was at fault for something heinous that harmed Crystal Tokyo or one of the Royal Family, would you take up arms against him if necessary?"

"Are you saying that he has done something wrong?"

"No, I just wanted to know."

"I don't know."

"Good response and I hope you never have to find the answer."

"Why?"

"Because if you had to find the answer, you would have to choose between the city and the person. It is an ugly decision when you love them both."

"Have you?"

"Have I what?"

"Found the answer?"

"…Yes, I have."

Asnee couldn't help feeling intensely curious about this woman. "What was the answer?"

"I chose the person."

"So is that the right answer?"

"There is no right answer, only what's in your heart."

The captain paused. "Why was Jupiter so upset?"

Venus looked long and hard at her. "All I can say to you is that you might make more of an effort in your relationship with her. She's very fond of you, whether she shows it or you want to believe it."

"Why? Just because she knows my grandmother?"

"Your grandmother is a fine woman, but has been through more than you know. So has Jupiter. You might say that they went through some of the same things."

"Does everyone know my grandmother?" she asked, exasperated.

"All the Senshi and Kings."

"Kings?"

"King Endymion's guards. The ones that are still in the palace are known as the Four Heavenly Kings, which is what Shitennou stands for. Since the arrival a long time ago by the other four of his guards, we have taken to just calling his guard the Kings."

"Why not just Shitennou?"

"Because Shi means four, not eight. Anyway, you should get some rest. Nephrite is a hard taskmaster. And I cannot tell you if he will have found Jupiter before Mercury and Mars. If he has, then you had best be prepared for the training session from hell. You'll want all your strength to survive it."

Asnee turned to leave the throne room, but at the door she looked back. Venus was still watching her, and watching her with a strange expression on her face that the Captain couldn't place. Confused, she left for her quarters.

End Chapter 4.

Any and all information about the Shitennou, (Endymion's guards) especially the meaning of their name, can be found at Peppermint Storm: (). It is the best Shitennou site that I have every found.

* - The headpiece came from the manga. I saw a picture of her with it on sometime in the first season. For the sake of this fanfiction (and because I thought it would be more convenient for the Senshi to have it), they all have one.


	5. Chapter 05

Author's Note:

This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed to Guardian4@atlantic.net. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. 

Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)

Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)

Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)

Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)

Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)

Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)

Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)

Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)

For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.

_Return of the Valkyries_

_Chapter 5_

Uranus rubbed her temples to relieve some of the pressure as she sat down next to Neptune. They had been searching the forests around Crystal Tokyo for the last week, convinced that was where they would be hiding Zoie. Not one single person in Japan would dare let them in with the child; they loved the Royal Family too much. Perhaps not Trion, but Kynthia was as loved as her grandmother and grandfather had been, and her mother and father after that. Trion was the only ruler of Crystal Tokyo that Uranus remembered that the people didn't like. But they did love Kynthia and if Kynthia loved the man, they would tolerate him.

"Find anything today?" Iolite asked tiredly.

They had split up by twos when searching and always reconvened at sundown, except today. Pluto had gone through one of her portals back to the palace after a communication from Venus, but was due back any time now. Cordylite had searched by himself, but had been carefully ordered to come back if he saw anything. He could not handle twenty guards alone obviously.

"No."

If Uranus had been expecting Saturn to come stumbling back into camp like the other times, she was shocked when it didn't happen. Rhonite entered, carrying his wife who was sleeping with her head pillowed on his shoulder.

"What happened?" demanded Adamite.

Rhonite grimaced, his blue hair falling into his face. "We were searching when we came upon a steep incline. I slipped and fell with my back to a tree. It was actually keeping me from falling down to what were probably sharp rocks at the bottom. Saturn was trying to help me get back up, which I nearly was, when she twisted her leg and broke it. She spent the better part of an hour to heal it. When she was finished, she collapsed."

"Wonderful," muttered Iolite.

"Let her sleep; we're fine for tonight."

They turned to find Pluto standing there. "I just came from the palace, as you know. Venus broke out the headsets to make it easier on us."

"I don't want you doing anymore of those portals, Pluto," Cordylite told her severely. "They take too much out of you now that you don't officially guard the Time Gate anymore."

Indeed, she did look gaunt, Uranus decided silently. "I agree. We don't need you collapsing on us."

"Any news from the palace? Any hint on where to look?" asked Iolite wearily.

"No. Jadeite and Mars, who are in charge of looking for clues and such, haven't found a single thing."

"Anything else of interest?" commented Rhonite as he laid his wife down on his jacket. He really was a pushover for her…

"Jupiter and Nephrite are in charge of training the guards and it isn't going well."

"Why? Isn't their granddaughter captain of the guard?" asked Neptune in a puzzled voice.

"Yes, but they haven't told her who they are. They haven't told any of their grandchildren that work in the palace who they are. Asnee's lessons with Makoto and Matt when she was younger didn't sink in well apparently, since she taught the guards all wrong and Jupiter and Nephrite have to re-teach them. Now she resents Jupiter for telling her that she isn't as good as she wants to be."

"And the others?" prompted Uranus.

"Zoisite and Mercury have their hands filled with trying set up barriers to the computer system and such. The computers have been in such disarray and poorly managed that they have to nearly wipe the entire system to do something.

"Venus and Kunzite are having their hands full doing palace security. From 6:00 in the morning to 7:00 at night, either Jupiter or Nephrite, depending on the rotation, has most of them. It kind of makes it hard to put people on security if they're too busy being trained to do their job right in the first place."

"Sounds like they got the hard end of the job, if you ask me," murmured Iolite with a smile to diffuse the tension.

Small grins flittered around the warriors there. 

"Maybe we're looking in the wrong places," suggested Saturn as she woke. "Maybe they're hiding in the city."

"I don't believe for a moment that they're in the city," answered Adamite. "No one in Crystal Tokyo would take them in when they found out they kidnapped the Crown Princess."

"We're not discounting the fact that perhaps they are hiding in a city, but not in Japan," Neptune reproved. "They could be in one of the other countries. It would be easy to hide there, especially with a small baby. The leaders wouldn't necessarily know that it was the Crown Princess and the people there don't love the Royal Family of Crystal Tokyo like its own people do."

"I think that we're entirely on the wrong track with the other countries theory," Pluto said, sitting down. "I have this unexplainable feeling that she's here, in Japan."

"It's logical, yes, that she's here," her husband answered. "They would want her close to the country she's a princess of if they need to use her as a bargaining chip." His red hair had twigs in it and he began to pull them out. He was trying carefully not to pull out his braid, which was started at the nape of his neck and went down to the middle of his back. 

Pluto smiled at him and they locked eyes, gray brown to garnet. They seemed to have a timeless moment until they shattered it by looking away. Uranus could understand why; it wasn't right to be feeling good when the Crown Princess was in danger.

"What are we going to do tomorrow? We can't keep searching like this. It'll get us nowhere and get someone hurt eventually," argued Rhonite with an admonishing look at his wife. She just shrugged at him.

"He's right. We're wasting our time doing this. They could have moved their base five different times by now," Uranus said sullenly. She didn't like this, not at all, and she could feel the weight of her oath hanging on her shoulders. They all could. The longer it took to find the princess, the more danger to her and them.

"What about Mars? Can't she do a fire reading or something?" recommended Iolite.

Pluto shook her head. "She's been doing fire readings left and right and hasn't been coming up with a single thing."

"Then what do we do?"

"I say we question Trion," Adamite said at last. "I don't trust that he doesn't know something. And we do it quietly, make sure that no one knows."

"Do you really think that he arranged the kidnapping?" asked Saturn, mildly shocked that he had proposed it.

"I don't know, but I don't trust him."

"I agree," Rhonite and Cordylite said simultaneously.

"All right, we'll do that in the morning. We'll travel back to Crystal Tokyo, sneak in stealthily. If Venus and Kunzite don't have the guards to post, it should be easy, especially if Zoisite and Mercury can't get that dratted computer working before then. At sundown, we'll sneak into his bedroom and have a talk," outlined Uranus.

"What about Kynthia? Won't she be there?" Neptune murmured, worried.

"I don't think so," responded Pluto. "Because she vouched for Usagi and Mamoru to temporarily take the throne, they don't talk much, according to Venus. She even heard them fighting and then a door slam. Apparently that night Kynthia slept in guest room."

"If we're lucky, she'll sleep in a guest room again." Uranus certainly hoped what she said was true. It would be much harder to question Trion if his wife were there.

"What if he tells Usagi and Mamoru the next morning?" prompted Saturn.

"I don't think he will," Rhonite told his wife. "True, anything to slander Usagi he would do it, but I don't think he would tell her about this. He's too proud, for one, and for another if he said that she had ordered the Senshi and Kings to question him, it would make him seem like he had something to hide. The people like Usagi better than him. If he came to complain that he was questioned, it would seem like he did indeed have something to hide. And whether or not the Royals denied that they sent us, it would cast suspicion on him. People would begin to wonder why he was being watched and questioned…if perhaps Usagi and Mamoru suspected him. They would suspect him too and he would lose credibility in their eyes. And he knows he needs any and all credibility to deal with the nobility and foreign dignitaries that come to the palace."

"You have him analyzed pretty good," commented Iolite.

"I've waited for this opportunity for a long time. I've wanted to talk to him ever since he called Mamoru a whipped pretty boy."

"What? When did that happen?" demanded Uranus.

"Only Usagi, Mamoru and the Kings were there when he said it," Adamite explained, his jaw clenching in response to his anger. "It was a long time ago, when he had just taken the throne. Usagi had suggested something about one of his policies and Mamoru had seconded it. Because he did, and because he obviously didn't have a 'leash' on his wife, Trion called Mamoru a whipped pretty boy that had to let his wife do all the talking because he didn't have enough common sense to think for himself. We had to restrain Rhonite, Kunzite, Jadeite, and Iolite from breaking his neck."

"Don't forget about you too," Iolite muttered. "You weren't exactly calm either."

Adamite shrugged, a bit jerkily. "And they had to restrain me as well. There, you happy?"

Iolite smiled.

"And does he have a 'leash' on Kynthia?" growled Uranus, ignoring what was going on between the two Kings.

"I doubt it," was her husband's dry reply. "She's Chibiusa's daughter, and Usagi's granddaughter. She's too proud to let him 'put a leash' on her. I think that's part of his resentment of Usagi and Mamoru."

"Well, now I can see why you all are never in the same room as Trion," commented Neptune. "It's amazing Kunzite and Jadeite are."

"Yeah, but they have Nephrite and Zoisite to restrain them, though I'm sure they would rather like to see him with his neck broken."

She flitted from shadow to shadow in the city, feeling her husband's reassuring presence behind her. Her green eyes glinted like a cat's in the night. The Crystal Palace loomed like a patient parent over them. 

Uranus gripped Adamite's hand and he paused. "Yes?"

She turned to him, trying to make out his features in the dark. "Before we go in there, I just want to say that I love you."

"I case we don't make it out?"

"Among other things."

She could practically feel him smile. "And I love you too." His lips descended on hers for only a moment before pulling back.

"Let's go."

"All right, he's in his room and Kynthia is nowhere to be seen."

Uranus tilted her head to the voice in the earpiece, listening intently to Saturn's report. "Proceed?"

"Yes…no, wait, something's happening."

Her head snapped up as Rhonite jumped next to his wife. "What's going on?"

"There's a light, like a teleportation spell in his room…A man has appeared…He's rugged, wearing clothes that are little more than rags. He's got a fairly recent scar over his lips and a tattoo on the back of his hand of a dagger crossed with sun…Trion's annoyed at something…Now he's rubbing his hands almost gleefully…The new man is talking, obviously reporting…He's gesturing to a map on the wall…Trion made a small mark to the east of Crystal Tokyo…They're arguing about something, the man is gesturing to his scar…"

Saturn paused and she could almost hear her leaning forward to see better.

"Trion gave him something, some sort of crystal, I can't see it great from here…The man bowed, Trion obviously ordered him to do something…He's smiling, rather sickly like and Trion's backing away in revulsion…He's said something not to the King's liking…Trion hit him…The man glared at him…He's started his teleportation spell…He's gone…Trion's getting ready for bed…"

Uranus could see the lights go out and a moment later Saturn and Rhonite joined the rest on the ground. They ran back out of the city.

"I'm betting my entire powers that that man was not a palace guard," Saturn told them grimly.

"What kind of man was he?" asked Iolite thoughtfully.

"A crude kind of man, if you ask me," growled Rhonite. "I would be just about anything that he's part of the kidnapping of Zoie."

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Cordylite told his close friend. "Anyway, we have a lead we can check on. Let's head east of Crystal Tokyo, all eight of us. I have a feeling…we'll need all of us for this."

They nodded and tried to get some sleep for the next day, but it was long in coming.

End Part 5.


	6. Chapter 06

Author's Note:

This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed to Guardian4@atlantic.net. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. 

Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)

Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)

Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)

Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)

Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)

Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)

Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)

Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)

For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.

_Return of the Valkyries_

_Chapter 6_

Nephrite stalked into the barracks where the men were getting ready. They jumped at his presence. He usually waited for them in the training grounds. "Yes, sir?" questioned Asnee carefully.

"Out on the grounds, NOW!" he roared.

With him at their heels, the men and women of the guard ran to the training grounds. He circled them like a sheep dog, keeping all the 'strays' with the main group. 

"Is something the matter, sir?"

He turned sharply to Asnee and his brown eyes slammed into her earthen ones. She knew at once that Mars and Mercury had not gotten to Jupiter before him. She cringed inside; according to Venus, this was going to be for one nasty training session.

"Come here, _Captain." He said the title like it was filth and Asnee, despite being nervous as this intimidating man loomed over her, felt the anger she had felt the night before when she had talked to Jupiter. But it was because of that anger that she had gotten her men in the time of their lives, not necessarily a good thing right now._

"I know what you said to Jupiter," he whispered in her ear. "You had absolutely no _right to say that to her. She only wants what's best for you, to train you, to keep you alive. There is no condescension in her eyes; that's your imagination, your will to be better than her. And normally that will is a good thing, but not when it manifests itself into anger and hatred to someone who's only doing what they are told and _do_ want to help you."_

"Are you speaking as a commander or a husband?" she shot back, just as quietly.

Perhaps she had read him wrong in the first place, perhaps she hadn't, but she would have never been prepared for it if she had had three millenniums at her disposal. He ripped his arm back and slammed his fist straight into her jaw.

It felt as if it had been broken; it should have broken. Any normal person's jaw would have been broken under the force of that hit. That fist would have made a permanent indentation in a wall with the force behind it. So why did it only hurt like hell and was not broken?

"Lord Nephrite, what was the meaning of that?" demanded an irate voice at the top of the stairs.

Asnee turned her head since it was the only thing she could do. Her breath was gone, her body limp, and her jaw exuding the pain into her brain so she could barely think. A man with silver hair, gorgeous, and tall stalked down to them. 

She held her breath. This was as close as she'd ever gotten to the beautiful man before. She had seen glimpses of him in the halls, but never had she been this close to him. But on his heels, was the man of her dreams.

His blonde hair was unruly, most of it fighting to get out from the green band he had tied it with. He was a lithe man, with sparkling green eyes and a wonderful smile. She had never actually met him either, but she always found ways of passing him in the hall. Just a glimpse of him was enough to see her through the day, most times. He had a gray compact computer in his hand and Asnee recognized it as one of the many from the Network Computer room of the palace.

"Kunzite, Zoisite," her commander said and bowed slightly. Which one was which?

"What did you hit the Captain for?" the silver one demanded again.

Nephrite turned and motioned with his head away from the guards and Asnee. Both the silver one and the angel went with him. His mouth moved tightly and fast, his fist clenched tightly at his side as if he wanted to hit Asnee again.

She saw his mouth speak her name and the angel and his companion turned to her with frowns on their faces. Slowly they walked back so the guards could hear them. 

"Lord Nephrite, though you had reason for anger, you should not have hit the Captain," the silver one said, making sure they heard him.

The angel bent down and offered her his hand. Asnee, in heaven when he touched her, took it and somehow managed to get to her feet without falling all over him in a pile of love-struck mush.

"However, Captain," Asnee turned to the man speaking, "you had absolutely no right to say that to him. Do you know what you just did?"

"I asked him a question."

"One that was designed to let out anger, obviously," he snapped dryly, "but it is also known as insubordination. You do not address your commander as boldly and without respect as you have done without their permission. No matter what you may think of him or Jupiter personally, they are still your commanding officers and you will treat them as such and with respect as that office deserves. Since both of you were in the wrong and did your acts solely out of anger, neither of you will be punished nor reprimanded, but keep in mind this warning. I will not be so lenient again."

"Sir, what is your name, so that I might know for future reference?"

"I am the leader of the Earthen Kings, under His Majesty King Endymion, Lord Kunzite. This is Lord Zoisite. Anything you call Lord Nephrite will apply to us."

"Are there not four of you, sir?"

"Yes. Do you not know any of our names? Surely Jupiter or Nephrite would have informed you of who to go to if you had concerns."

"Nay, they did not tell us naught but their own names."

"Good grasp of the old language," commended her angel, Zoisite. "It hasn't been used for hundreds of millions of years, when the days they didn't have technology. You must have paid attention in class."

"The last of remaining Kings still in the palace is Lord Jadeite," Kunzite told her, ignoring the other King. "The Senshi still in the palace, for alls concern since you probably already know them, are leader of the Senshi, Sailor Venus, her second in command of the Inner Guard, Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Jupiter."

"And those outside of the palace, sir?"

"That really won't be a concern since they won't be back unless it is with the Crown Princess. If their bodies return, we will know they have failed. If they do come back alive, it will be with Princess Zoie and it will mean we will be leaving soon. If that time does come, you will not see them or us again. So, in effect, for all of you it does not matter who they are."

"Are you not concerned for your comrades? You speak of their dead bodies as if they mean nothing to you."

"It is the way of any commander," said Zoisite. "A commander must be strong, grieve quietly so as not to lower the morale of his or her men. You will learn that in time, though it is a sad lesson."

Asnee watched them leave, those gorgeous men. She was completely in love with Zoisite, could think of nothing else. Tomorrow, tomorrow she would talk to him, ask him out. After all, he had said that she had had a good grasp of the old language. Surely that compliment was more than simply platonic?

But for now, it was training time. Nephrite was looking at her with something close to distaste and turned away from her after a moment.

Artemis slipped into the room before Venus closed the door. Kunzite came up behind her and started rubbing her shoulders. "For no guards to post, there are certainly a lot of problems elsewhere to deal with."

Kunzite nodded and led his wife to a chair.

Artemis ignored their grumbling and leapt onto his charge's lap. "Venus, Kunzite, we have a problem."

"Why am I not surprised?" replied the blonde in a dry tone of voice. "There's always a problem. What is it?"

"It's about Asnee."

"I thought you took care of it when you went to talk to Nephrite and calm him down this morning," she said to Kunzite, trying to think around the pleasure of his shoulder massage.

"I thought I did too."

"That's not the problem I'm talking about."

"Then there's another one?"

"Luna and I have taken turns watching her at night, to see how well she's settling into the routine, and such. Lately, she's been talking in her sleep. About a certain long, blonde-haired King who is good with technology. About how she's in love with him…"

"Oh my God," Venus muttered and dropped her head in her hands. Kunzite stopped the shoulder rub and shook his head. 

"You have to do something before she embarrasses herself tomorrow. She's going to ask him out and knows exactly where he'll be. He'll be in front of at least twenty technicians and to be rejected like that will be more than embarrassing, it'll be humiliating."

"I'll have to get up at 4:00 in the morning. She'll have to get up at around 5:00, wake up, beat feet to get to him, ask him out, then beat feet to get to the training grounds. And I have to beat feet to get to her before she beats feet to Zoisite."

"Also, when you do get to her, mention to her that Kunzite is also unavailable."

Kunzite choked on the water he was drinking. "What?"

"She's head over heels for Zoisite, but you're in close second. Once she finds out that Zoisite isn't available, she'll move on to you."

"What about Nephrite and Jadeite?"

"She's a bit too resentful of Nephrite to like him like that and she's never even met Jadeite. He's never in the same wing of the palace as her."

"Okay, I'll try to get to her first, before she gets to him. Kunzite, when you wake up, the first thing I want you to do is head down to the training grounds. If Asnee isn't there, then I want you to explain to Nephrite why. Gods, it will be even worse if she finds out that the people she thought were her grandmother and grandfather's eccentric friends were the same people she was madly in love with."

Asnee was up and dressed before the sun had touched the horizon. Her feet ran soundlessly toward the Network Computer room and listened. Sounded like they were up even earlier than her and it was 4:30 in the morning.

She slid the door open and entered. A few technicians turned to her, but when she didn't say anything to them, they ignored her.

Her vision easily spotted her angel and she approached him slowly, willing herself not to act like she had run there just to see him. "Zoisite, sir?"

He turned to her and smiled. She felt herself wanting to melt. "Yes?"

"What are you doing now, sir?"

"Interested in technology? Not what I would have expected from someone of your grandmother's genes."

In truth, Asnee didn't give a care about computers and such. She just needed to find something to ask before she asked him to join her for dinner.

"I'm not usually, but since I am the Captain of the guard for the palace, I figure it's my duty to know what everything is doing."

"Quite the good answer," he responded, still smiling. "You have some wisdom in you, especially surprising in one so young, not arrogant as many are. You will be a great leader one day, when you've been allowed Time to mold you into who you will be."

She smiled euphorically. This was the opening she needed. "Perhaps we could discuss my wisdom and Time over dinner tomorrow night?"

Dead silence filled the room as Zoisite stopped smiling. Her heart constricted suddenly. "I'm…I'm flattered that you would ask me, but I…I…" He shifted his left hand and the light from the windows flashed on something golden on his ring finger.

"…I'm married."

Asnee didn't wait around to hear what else he would say. She could feel the eyes of the people in the room, Zoisite's included, as she fled. She passed someone in the hall speeding towards the Network Computer room, but she bypassed them. She didn't care about training that day, she just wanted to lie on her bed and die.

Married? How could he be married? He could only be a few years older than her and she was nineteen. It just wasn't possible…

The door opened slowly and Sailor Venus entered. A pause of silence. "I heard what happened."

"So you were the one I passed in the hall," she whispered dully, devoid of emotion. 

She closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed. 

"Who is he married to?"

She didn't even begin to pretend she didn't know who Asnee was talking about. "Sailor Mercury."

The Captain laughed harshly at herself. "I should have known. Someone that smart would only be with his intellectual equal, not a stupid girl who only has a good grasp of the old language."

"You're not a stupid girl. Let me tell you something. Once, when I was young and your age, I fell in love. At least, I thought it was love."

"How could you not know if it was love? Isn't that what you're the Senshi of?"

"How did you know that?" The leader's voice was soft.

"There've been rumors."

"I shouldn't be so naïve about it. I used to work here after all. Anyway, when I had him with me, I thought nothing could go wrong. All the senses about love that were bestowed upon me told me that it wasn't true, that I was going to get hurt, but I thought they were wrong. I made myself believe they were wrong.

"Then one day I found him in the park with another woman, a beautiful one. I stalked up to him in anger. I thought that what we had had meant something. He was dating someone other than me. I was determined to show him that you didn't cheat on the Senshi of Love!" She laughed self-deprecatingly. "When he turned and saw me, he didn't even flinch at the sight of my anger. I demanded to know what he was doing with another woman when he was with me. He looked at me as if I'd lost my mind and replied, 'With another woman? This is my wife.' I had mistook our relationship as love. He had only thought of me as a bit of a friend, nothing more."

"But it didn't happen in front of twenty people."

"No, mine was worse. It happened in front of this beautiful woman, who looked at me as if she was serenity incarnate, who pitied me for my 'mistake'. She was so elegant, refined, above such emotions as anger. I felt as if I was primordial ooze."

"Why did Zoisite have to married though? Why couldn't he have been dating someone, involved with someone else? Why married?"

"It happened a long time ago, before you were even thought to be conceived."

Her statement drew Asnee's attention and she propped herself up on her elbow, looking at Minako for the first time. "How could that be? He can only be one or two years older than me."

It seemed as if Venus had come to the same conclusion and she looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Uh, well, um, it was a few years ago that they got married…"

"Then they would have had to have been married when they were around fifteen and must have been dating each other for years before that. Zoisite doesn't strike me as the type to rush into a marriage relationship without a few dating years under his belt."

Venus was looking everywhere except at Asnee. The Captain sat up completely. "Sailor Venus, something is going on around here. The Senshi and the Kings can't possibly know my grandmother as well as you all seem to since my grandmother is very old. If you're the same age or a few years older than me, the way you look, then it isn't possible."

"We never said we were the same age or a few years older than you."

"But the way you look! You have to be very old to have guarded the Royal Family I, but you all look around my age. What is going on? As the Captain of the Guard, I deserve to know!"

Venus got to her feet and headed for the door, muttering, "I have to be going."

Asnee somehow beat her to it. She placed her back against the hard surface and locked the door. "Tell me what's going on. Who are you? WHAT are you?"

Venus studied her. 

"Look, everything about you from the way you talk, the way you act, your knowledge and the way you think…it all says that you could be as old as time. But the way you look, the way you move, the swiftness you display for someone that old…it's as if you were teenagers. What's going on?"

A blinking light on her earpiece drew her attention. "Mars here. Venus, we're in the Throne Room on duty. Where the hell are you?"

She touched the earpiece and said, "Venus here. I'm in the Captain's room and she has brought up our…differences. Cannot make a decision without full consent of all."

The Senshi watched her with her blue eyes as she obviously waited for a response. A tinny voice came a moment later.

"Mars here. Say nothing."

Asnee opened her mouth and Venus held up a warning hand. "Venus here. Situation tense, exit blocked non-threateningly. Consider re-evaluating answer."

She had no idea why they were talking in short, coded sentences, but perhaps it had something to do with the secret of what they were.

"Jadeite here. Irrelevant information. Unnecessary risk."

"Venus here. Not irrelevant. Possible undesirable consequences if left unanswered."

"Zoisite here. Not irrelevant. Decision approved."

"Mars here. No information."

"Mercury here. Undesirable consequences already formed. Stressed relationship with J3 and N2."

'J3? N2?' Asnee mouthed at Venus. Other than a flicker of a glance at her, the Soldier ignored her.

"Kunzite here. Skeptical. Not entirely relevant for security purposes."

"Mercury here. Must reroute undesirables. Decision approved."

"Nephrite here. Second Kunzite."

"Jupiter here. Create more undesirable consequences. Say nothing."

"Venus here. Possibility only."

"Jadeite here. Agreed. Decision approved."

"Venus here. Security breaching with no information. More undesirable consequences if remain silent."

"Nephrite here. Explain."

"Venus here. Determined decision. Gathering intelligence on S.S. and E.K. Possible complete and permanent breach with relations."

There was silence for so long that Asnee wondered what it was exactly that Venus had said that had upset them so, causing them to think so hard.

"Kunzite here. Agreed. Decision approved."

"Mars here. Decision approved."

"Nephrite here. Decision approved."

"Jupiter here. Decision approved."

"Venus here. Acknowledged. Inform Outers? Gain approval?"

"Kunzite here. Negative, unnecessary."

"Acknowledged. Venus out."

And the conversation ended.

Asnee immediately spoke. "What was that?"

"The approval for me to tell you what you want to know."

"Really?"

"Yes."

The first thing that Asnee did when she fully heard the wild tale that Venus spun, she laughed. She laughed so hard she almost fell to her knees. "You're kidding! YOU people are my grandmother's friends? And my grandmother is a Sailor Senshi? Which one is she?"

"Jupiter."

"And that would make Nephrite…?"

"Your grandfather."

Asnee laughed afresh.

"I see I shall have to show you."

When Venus held up a pen in her hand, golden light filled her bedroom. It faded and left Minako standing there. Albeit she looked younger than the last time she had seen her, but it was still her.

Asnee fainted.

End Chapter 6.

Okay, I realize that the conversation over the earpiece between the Senshi and Earthen Kings is a little strange, so I'll explain some things and put a translation down here in case you don't want to take the time to figure it out. Hey, it took me a few minutes some time to figure out how to write it, so... 

Also, the reason they spoke like that, which will be explained in the next chapter, is to completely confuse Asnee for one, and anyone else that might have their frequency, like the kidnappers. Hey, they know nothing about them. For all they know, they might have been listening in the whole time.

J3 refers to Jupiter. The 'J' refers to Jupiter, obviously, and the 3 refers to her place in rank. N2 refers to Nephrite. The N is for his name and the 2 is for his rank, since he is second-in-command. Venus and Kunzite would be V1 and K1, the letter of their name and 1 for leader.

S.S. stood for Sailor Senshi and E.K. stood for Earthen Kings.

Since what Mars said at the beginning is self-explanatory, I'll start when Venus tells them where she is:

(I'm starting with the last sentence) "…I can't tell her who we are without you all agreeing first since it's not just my secret."

"Mars here. Don't tell her."

"Venus here. Asnee's really upset and I can't leave. She's blocking the door. Besides, shouldn't we tell her?"

"Jadeite here. She doesn't need to know. It risks not only us, but Usagi and Mamoru."

"Venus here. It isn't irrelevant. It'll only get worse from now."

"Zoisite here. I agree. Tell her."

"Mars here. Don't tell her."

"Mercury here. We already have problems, major ones, with her. She's already on the verge of hating Mako-chan and Matt and she doesn't even realize that they're the people she looks up to the most."

…..

"Kunzite here. I'm not sure. I mean, I agree with Mercury, but we have to think of the bigger picture here. It's not exactly pertinent information, security wise."

"Mercury here. We have to stop it before more problems arise. Tell her."

"Nephrite here. I agree with Kunzite."

"Jupiter here. It'll only create more problems if we tell her. Don't say anything."

"Venus here. Maybe not."

"Jadeite here. I agree with Venus; it might not. All right, tell her."

"Venus here. If we don't tell her, she might inadvertently trigger a security breach. Besides, if we don't, it'll only create even more problems that will happen than the problems that might happen if we do tell her."

"Nephrite here. What do you mean?"

"Venus here. She'll be determined to find out what's different about us. She'll go around, asking a lot of questions and possibly bring suspicion about our backgrounds upon us. Besides, when she does find out on her own, she'll really hate Matt and Mako-chan forever for not telling her."

….

"Kunzite here. I see your point. Okay, tell her."

"Mars here. Tell her."

"Nephrite here. Fine."

"Jupiter here. All right."

"Venus here. Right. By the way, do we tell the Outers? You know, ask them if they want us to?"

"Kunzite here. No, it really doesn't matter to them because the only time they'll be coming back is either with Zoie or dead."

"All right. Venus out."

It may be more talking down here, but, hey…I translated it. Those '…' mean that I skipped something that doesn't need to be translated. Unless it's in a line of dialogue, it's more likely a description or something.


	7. Chapter 07

Author's Note:

This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed to Guardian4@atlantic.net. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. 

Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)

Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)

Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)

Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)

Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)

Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)

Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)

Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)

For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.

_Return of the Valkyries_

_Chapter 7_

Asnee was praying that it was all a dream, that she had not asked out her godfather. It had been an unusual pairing, or so she had been told by her grandmother, when her grandfather had picked the younger man to be godfather to his child. Technically, he wasn't her godfather, but her father's, yet when her father had died when she was five, he had stepped in and been her godfather. He had helped raise her with her mother.

"Tell me it isn't true," she said when she saw Venus…no Minako, sitting in a chair next to her bed.

"It's true."

"But if I'm her granddaughter, shouldn't I be able to do the things she can?"

"Not necessarily. She is a Senshi, you are not. Being a Senshi adds something to the person, like physical strength and magical powers. Besides that, your grandmother's first life, when she was born, was on Jupiter, in the Silver Millennium that I explained to you before. They were the strongest of races. When she was reincarnated, Mako-chan retained that strength and being a Senshi adds even more to her. That's why she can do some of the things that you can't."

"Why were you talking in code before?"

"In case anyone was listening on our frequency. With these strange kidnappers, you never know."

She skipped over that for now. "Why can't I be a Senshi?"

"That is a long story and one we really don't have time to go into. Now you know why we all know your grandmother. The only condition that I must place on you is this: You are hereby charged never to reveal our identities ever and not acknowledge during training to the other Guard that Jupiter or Nephrite are your grandparents."

"Fine. I just can't face Zoisite-sama ever again." She rolled onto her side and faced the wall.

"You didn't know that Zoisite was Zale."

"It doesn't matter."

"Fine, sulk if you want. It isn't what I would expect from someone from Mako-chan and Matt's genes, but I suppose if you feel the need…Now I have to go. Venus Crystal Power, MAKE-UP!"

Venus left the room. It was only a moment later that Asnee followed her out.

"Jupiter, may I speak with you?"

Jupiter winced when she heard her granddaughter's voice. Slowly she turned around and looked into her daughter's hazel eyes. "Yes?"

Asnee led them to an alcove where they wouldn't be seen. Shocking the Soldier, the Captain immediately wrapped her arms around her waist and hugged her tight. "I've missed you, grandma!" she whispered fervently.

Jupiter smiled through happy tears and hugged her granddaughter back. "And I've missed you, Asnee. You don't know how hard it was for me to train you and not tell you who I was."

"Lovely moment."

Asnee's head snapped up, but Jupiter looked at her husband more slowly. She had recognized his voice faster than Asnee ever could, since they were soulmates.

"Grandpa, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean what I said before on the training field!"

She managed to keep her voice down, but her face was in tears. Nephrite smiled and pulled his granddaughter into his embrace. "It's all right."

She smiled against his chest and hugged him tighter.

Jadeite could not believe what he had found. It denied all that he had seen around the palace, all the areas he had searched. The kidnappers had left something behind.

"Finally!" he said as he picked it up.

His triumphant smile turned into a puzzled frown. The whole palace had been immaculate of clues, so why would this one be missed? True, it had been hidden deep and was easily overlooked, but still…why?

He met up with Kunzite a moment later, his commander overlooking the city from a balcony. 

"I think I found something."

The silver haired man turned sharply to him, all his attention drawn the shorter one. "What?"

Jadeite handed him the piece of stone. "It looks to be broken in half, so that would mean the design is only half, but…it could mean what the kidnappers are."

"Or it could be something to throw us off."

The design had only part of a dagger crossing some circles that could mean the sun or the moon. "Let's let Mars do a reading on it tomorrow. By then, it'll be our turn for guard rotation of the Royal Family."

"How is Kynthia doing?"

"Well, the Senshi say that she sometimes comes in to watch her grandparents rule over things. Often times, she stays in a guest room, away from her husband, Trion. Helios has gone back to Elysian and his priesthood for the time being to see what he can find out. Chibiusa, well, she's been traveling in the dignitaries' circles to see if anyone knows anything. Kynthia seems to be at a loss as to what to do. Trion is seen even less than his wife. I caught him leaving the palace once, but he was back in so quickly that I don't know what he could have been doing that would take that short a time.

"Let's tell Zoisite and Mercury to contact the Outers as soon as possible," the commander continued. "I want to know if they have found out anything, possibly seen this symbol, whatever it is, somewhere around."

"Commander," Jadeite responded to the tone of dismissal and left to find his fellow King. Zoisite would tell his wife what he had left off with once his guard duty rotation came.

"Can I tell Keahi, Nixie, and Roshaun when they get back?" Asnee asked eagerly.

Jupiter looked uncertain and glanced to her companions. Mars, Mercury, and Venus all looked a bit downtrodden at the question.

"No, I'm afraid not," Venus answered finally.

Asnee's face fell. "But…why not?"

Keahi was Mars' granddaughter, a veritable fireball of energy. Oddly enough, though Mars had had two children, the boy had chosen to become a Shinto Priest, probably because of his great psychic ability. The girl that she had had, Candace, had died in the invasion of the Black Moon. Mars had yet to forgive them for it. 

Unlike her father, Keahi had joined the guard like her grandmother, though she didn't know it. Jupiter and the others had always had a sneaking suspicion that perhaps her son, Pyralis, knew his mother was a Sailor Senshi. Mars maintained she had never told him, but she did concede that perhaps he had seen something once, through his ability, which was near equal to hers.

Nixie, which was not a nickname but her full one, was Mercury's granddaughter. She was constantly laughing and sometimes a little too loud. Unlike her grandmother, she did not inherit a shy gene. The girl didn't know the meaning of the word shy or quiet. She had taken after her mother, one of two girls and one of three children, who had also become a member of the guard. She had pale blue hair that verged on white, which she allowed to flow to her waist. Her green eyes she had inherited from her grandfather, the only one in Mercury's line to have green eyes and that included her two other children, the male a lesbian, and the female a writer.

Roshaun, his complexion much like his grandfather, was Venus' grandson. He and his father both had become guards. Like both his grandparents and his father, he had inherited a strict loyalty code and believed in duty above all else. Inevitably, his father's strict attention to duty had broken up his marriage. His mother had tried to persuade her son, Roshaun, to come live with her, but he had stayed with his father, who he believed was in the right. The boy had been fifteen and it hadn't exactly been traumatic when she had left since he had a solid grounding to logic and loyalty. Considering that Venus and his mother had never once gotten along, it was altogether with a less tense atmosphere when they were together after that. 

He was a serious boy, but when he smiled, it was like he was transforming. While he may have inherited much of the characteristics of his father and grandfather, his smile he had inherited from his grandmother. One smile and the girls would fall and fawn all over him. Needless to say, he didn't exactly like that so he rarely smiled. 

The four of them, Asnee, Nixie, Roshaun, and Keahi were inseparable, much like Makoto, Ami, Minako, and Rei were. The Outers children were good friends of the four, but because of the section of guards they had joined, they didn't see too much of them.

Much like the Inners and Outers, there were two distinct sections of guards that paralleled the Senshi. The 'Inner' guard, as it were, protected the palace and its inhabitants. The 'Outer' guard, again as it were, guarded Crystal Tokyo. 

As of the moment, Nixie, Roshaun, and Keahi had been sent out a few weeks ago to contact the border guard, where Vasanti, Camdyn, Brooks, and Bronwyn were. 

Vasanti, unlike what people assumed, was a girl and much to the pride of Pluto. Her long hair was a dark red color, taking after her grandfather, but having garnet eyes like grandmother. All the Outers children, with a few exceptions, had been in the guard. The only two that hadn't had been one of Uranus' children, who had become a racer, and one of Saturn's two children, who had become a doctor, under Mercury's tutelage. 

Camdyn was Uranus' grandson, the son of her only daughter out of four children. He resembled his mother, who looked like his grandmother, instead of the predominant (except for eye color) male looks from his grandfather, although he did receive his grandfather's height.

Brooks was Neptune's granddaughter, her only one out of three children, two daughters and one son. One of the daughters couldn't have children, the other having no interest in any kind of relationship whether with females or males. All her children had been in the guard. There were really no prominent traits, since all the children and grandchildren tended to be a perfect mix.

And Bronwyn, like her name and its meaning, was dark and resembled her father's figure. Rhonite's physical build tended to take over in the genes and balanced Saturn's weaker one. Saturn had had two boys, both quite energetic. One of them had become a doctor, due to his healing ability, the only one of them to inherit it from his mother. The other had gone into the guard.

"Why not?" Asnee persisted, drawing Jupiter from her contemplation of children and grandchildren.

"Just because you know doesn't mean that they can know," Mars explained.

"I would have thought that Roshaun would have been Captain of the Guard," Mercury commented.

Asnee colored slightly. "He is," she whispered.

"Say what?" demanded the Senshi.

"I'm only the Captain of the Guard until Roshaun gets back. I'm like the second-in-command." She took a deep breath and plowed on. "It was originally offered to Keahi, but she turned it down. She just wanted to fight and protect, not lead."

"Regardless of who the Captain is, you are not to inform any of the Senshi's children of who we are," Venus said at last.

Asnee's rather disappointed look didn't change; if anything, it got worse.

"Asnee, please understand why we are doing this," Jupiter pleaded. "We can't risk our identities. If you were a Senshi, then you would have to keep it from the others anyway. It is simply the way of a Sailor Soldier."

"Oh." She sighed and trudged from the room, muttering, "All right."

"How far do you trust her to remain silent?" Mars murmured.

"As far as I can throw her," Mercury said immediately.

"That wouldn't be too far," Venus replied.

"I trust her _intentions to keep her promise, but when she gets excited, her tongue tends to get loose," Jupiter explained. "We'll see how long her promise lasts."_

"Agreed."

End Chapter 7 


	8. Chapter 08

Author's Note:

This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed to Guardian4@atlantic.net. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. 

Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)

Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)

Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)

Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)

Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)

Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)

Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)

Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)

For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.

_Return of the Valkyries_

_Chapter 8_

"Do you see that?" whispered Neptune, pointing toward the symbol above the heavily guarded door.

The Senshi nodded. "It looks like that symbol Saturn saw on the man's hand and the symbol that Jadeite described to us," Adamite murmured

"Are you sure that you heard his description right?" questioned Uranus skeptically. "I mean, our communicators aren't meant for long distances like this. I didn't even KNOW that it could possibly reach this far. It was pretty damn distorted coming through."

"I heard enough to know what he was describing."

She looked her husband over, unconvinced, but willing to let it go. Uranus turned her attention back toward the door, watching. From their observations over the past two days, they had somewhat of a guard-changing schedule down. In a few minutes, hopefully, the guard would be changing again. Then they could put their plan into action.

"Get ready," Cordylite muttered. Beside him, Pluto stiffened and gripped her staff tightly.

Two men cordially greeted the ones standing nearest to the door. They nodded their heads at the comments and handed over their weapons. Stretching, they wandered back into the building. The other two guards that had not changed turned back and asked a question. They got a nod in response and proceeded into the building.

Uranus slipped down the hill, followed closely by Adamite. Each Senshi with their husbands/partners would take another route down to the door. With a well-thrown rock, attesting to his superb sniper abilities, Iolite knocked out the security cameras behind the two guards. Surprised by the sudden sound, they half turned to see what had happened.

That was the cue. Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn quickly took out the guards, while their husbands watched their backs. They dragged the bodies out of sight and slid quietly into the building. Now was the hard part.

End Part 8.

I know this was a really short part, but it will be continued later on. Don't you just hate me?


	9. Chapter 09

Author's Note:

This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed to Guardian4@atlantic.net. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. 

Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)

Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)

Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)

Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)

Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)

Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)

Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)

Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)

For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.

_Return of the Valkyries_

_Chapter 9_

Venus chewed her lip in consternation. She hadn't had any contact from the Outers in over two weeks. Normally, this wasn't cause to worry; they could very well take care of themselves. But… still, she had a very bad feeling. And the best back in the Silver Millennium had taught her; where she learned, told, to always trust her instincts because they would never steer her wrong. Some things always stayed with you, even from an incarnation ago.

She could tell her Senshi were getting as antsy as her about the lack of communication. Nearly every day, Usagi or her granddaughter would look at her with hope in their eyes and she felt wretched every time she told them there was no new information. Mars hadn't found out anything at all from a fire reading, and they had located no more clues to indicate who or where the kidnappers were.

The only upside that she could see was the Guard improving during training. They had come a long way from when Jupiter and Nephrite had taken control of their lives. Since they were doing so much better, they no longer had to spend all day training, giving Venus and her husband guards to post for protection around the palace. She would allow no one other than the Senshi and Shitennou to guard the Royal Family I.

Her grandson and her friends' grandchildren had returned around a week ago and through one circumstance or another, they had all found out who their grandparents were. She shook her head, staring off into the distant night sky. They must have been getting rusty in their old age, if they could no longer hide their identities. 

Venus glanced back at the bed and her sleeping husband. He had been taking all the responsibility well, to an outside eye, but she could see that it was wearing on him heavily. She worried about his health more than she would admit. Kunzite was not as young as he used to be, contrary to visual appearance. They were all not as young as they used to be. 

She turned back to the window. The days when they could go for three days without sleep and still defend the entire palace from an army with only themselves were over. Venus could feel it in her bones, how she tired earlier than before, and she knew her friends were feeling it too. They could still out endurance the other guards and people in the palace, but even then….it was barely. At one time, Minako would have rejoiced at feeling this, but not now. She knew she could not afford to feel her age now, not at such a crucial time. If any one of them failed, any of the eight of them, it would ensure the end of Crystal Tokyo, the Royal Family, and Usagi and Mamoru. 

It left her cold, realizing the outcome. She shivered, feeling the not-so-supple bones anymore rattle inside her slightly. She almost wished that she was young again, that she had the energy of youth. Screw the 'wisdom with age' crap; she needed the endurance of the young. 

Through the crack in the window, the wind intruded and rustled her pale yellow nightgown. She could tell, could see, Kynthia losing hope and falling out of love with her now-distant husband. Sometimes in a crisis, it brought about feelings that hid beneath the surface; sometimes a crisis was the only thing that spoke the truth, when it was no longer possible to hide. 

What would become of them, of Crystal Tokyo, when it realized that one day the miraculous Senshi that it had so relied upon were human and subject to die? Even now, two generations past and no longer seen the Senshi, they still believed that in any real crisis they would appear and save them. It had only reinforced the idea when they had showed up after so long, looking as if they had not aged a day since the first reign was over. 

A touch of something passed over her heart and she realized that even she had believed that in any real crisis the Senshi would save them, save her. But now she could see clearly that without her, there would be no Senshi, no Sailor Venus, just like the others. And she was mortal; would die of old age and taking away the Soldier of Love with her. She was leaving no legacy of safety for her people, for her children to always have someone to rely on.

She thought of the people of Crystal Tokyo as her people, as once in the Silver Millennium she had thought of Venusians as her people. They were as dear to her as Usagi and her husband were. But if she loved them so much, then how could she leave them with no legacy, no hope of safety?

Her henshin pen lay glittering in the night light like a star of protection and holding all the embodiment of hope and power, for hope and belief was power. She touched it gently, stroking its smooth surface with hands that had held a child and snapped enemies' necks in one fell swoop. 

No, she would not take the hope and belief with her when she died. She would leave her people something to care for, look for every time trouble came. 

Minako couldn't pass along her power, not this late in her life and no child to imbue it on, but she could still leave Sailor Venus for them. She would not take the Soldier of Love with her to the grave, not when Venus had been born and raised to fight, to protect. It would do her and them no good if she was gone for what could possibly be eternity.

She picked up the pen and her husband's cloak clasp, quietly slipping from the room. Halfway down the corridor, she met up with Usagi and Mamoru, obviously waiting for her.

"What do you wish, dear friend?" asked Mamoru softly, as if knowing she would still be up and wanting to see them.

"I want to leave our people with hope. Venus won't be around forever, as I have now realized, too late. I want to leave them with hope and belief, that if there is truly a need that the Senshi will arise again to save them, no matter how long it has been."

Usagi nodded. "Do the others know of your decision?"

"No, and I wish them not to. I do not know if they would understand when I cannot put it into words in the first place."

"What legacy do you wish to leave?"

She held out her pen. "I want the legacy to be this. If Setsuna is right, and our souls will continue to cycle through time because we are destined to always protect the human race, then we will eventually be reborn. I want to leave this so that when Venus is truly reborn, she can take her place as the warrior she is and protect the people, someone to count on always."

Usagi and Mamoru nodded. Their hands passed over the golden object and she could feel the power flowing into all eight of their henshin wands. 

"They shall be placed in a protective box that only a Senshi can open, to await the day when they shall be taken up again by the right hands," Mamoru murmured as they pulled their hands away. "This shall be your legacy to the people, your promise. We shall see to it that it shall always remain this way."

Minako, small tears at the corners of her eyes, nodded wordlessly. She made her way back to her room and slipped in beside her husband. He sighed in his sleep and pulled her closer to him. She closed her eyes and fell asleep, knowing her people would be forever safe.

"Any news from the Outers?" Mercury asked sadly, seeing the dissolution of everything she loved looming nearer.

"No, but don't give up hope," Venus told her sharply. "They're perfectly capable of taking care of themselves."

"I know, but…"

"Hey, have either of you see Trion?" interrupted Mars, running up to them.

"No I haven't," the blue Senshi replied, surprised. "Why do you ask?"

"Because he's been missing for a week now and no one's seen him."

"I wonder where he could be," muttered her leader in a grim tone.

The floor shook a bit beneath her, startling her. Was it an earthquake? There hadn't been one in Crystal Tokyo, not of natural means anyway, since created. An uneasy feeling settled in her gut.

Just then, Jupiter's granddaughter ran into the room, out of breath and fear in her eyes. "We're being attacked!"

"Impossible!" Venus barked. "No one has attacked Crystal Tokyo since the Dark Moon."

"But it's true! Look out the window!"

Instead of looking out the window, Venus ordered the Senshi to follow her to the security room where all the computers were that monitored the perimeter of the city. Mercury sat down in the main chair and called up all the outer cameras facing the north. Dismayed and shocked at seeing a veritable army outside their gates, she filled the other computer screens with the results from west, south, and east. Each showed the same.

"We're surrounded," Venus said harshly. She touched the earpiece that had become an extension to her hearing in the past few weeks. "Jupiter, Nephrite! I want your guards to back up the perimeter sentinels on the double! I want no one to come through those walls!"

"Don't worry!" Jupiter's tinny voice said back. "The walls will hold! They've always held, even against the Dark Moon."

"Mars?" She turned to the Senshi of War. "I want to get the all the Royal Family in the secure room. Mercury, I want you to activate the Aegis program. I want it on standby constantly, ready to go at my call."

Mercury, pale at the knowledge of what the Aegis program was, nodded. 

"Jadeite, Zoisite, I want you to prepare the Teleportation room for a quick leave. Kunzite, meet me by the front hall."

She strode out the room, her back straight and in complete control of herself. 

"She's really something," Asnee murmured.

"You could call this her element," Mercury told her, her fingers flying over the keys.

"What's the Aegis program? I've never heard of it before."

"That's because it was designed to hide until an emergency. Zoisite and I created it in case of something like this. We made it to work in sync with the teleportation room. It will put up a barrier around the city for a short while. If you haven't noticed yet, there are teleportation spots all around the city. Those are for the citizens. The Aegis program creates a barrier and activates the teleportation spheres. Everyone will have exactly fifteen minutes to reach a teleportation area and get out."

"Why?"

"After the fifteen minutes are up, the barrier will fall, allowing the opposing force to enter the city. Once the army is in, and five minutes have passed, Phase Two will begin."

"What's Phase Two?"

"The gates of the city will lock the army in, unable to get out. A countdown will then occur, down to the end."  
  


"What's the end?"

Mars answered quietly. "Crystal Tokyo will self-destruct, taking with her the army that was fool enough to attack."

"What would happen if someone couldn't get out of the city before the barrier fell?"

"They would die along with the enemy," Mercury whispered.

"How can you make something like that?" she demanded.

"Because it was necessary," the Soldier of War told her sharply. "We would rather see the city destroyed than in the hands of an enemy. There are secrets here that need to be kept that way, things here that need to stay hidden."

Roshaun, Venus' grandson, yelled through the open on his way past, "Asnee, come on! We've been assigned at the gates!"

Asnee stared at them for a long moment before running out of the room. Mercury and Mars exchanged glances.

End Part 9

Aegis is another synonym for 'shield'. Standard disclaimers.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note:

This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed to Guardian4@atlantic.net. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. 

Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)

Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)

Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)

Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)

Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)

Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)

Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)

Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)

For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.

_Return of the Valkyries_

_Chapter 10_

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" he hissed to the soldier next to him. "Marching on Crystal Tokyo? With its defenses? And what about…" He trailed off, suddenly unsure of himself.

"What about what?" demanded the man. "What are you mumbling about?"

"Well…" He hesitated to say it, in case he might sound as if he was loony. "Me Granny said there were…special defenders of the palace and the city when she was young. Warriors that could call destructive powers with just their will. They could destroy entire armies with their magic and that their strength and endurance outmatched mortals by a hundred-fold. Female warriors, guarding the queen and mated to the males, guarding the king."

The man beside him gave him a withering look, hardened by battle as he was. Disdainful, the only word that could possibly describe his attitude to the younger one. "Those are just fairy stories, told to children at bed. Besides, we have the king with us. Where are these male warriors, then?"

"Not warriors for King Trion, for King Endymion," another said, on his right. "There were eight female warriors, called the Sailor Senshi, and eight male warriors, called the Heavenly Kings. My Grandmother told me the story as well." His dry voice didn't make the young man feel better, but at least someone else knew the story. "That was at least two generations ago, a couple centuries perhaps. They would have died of old age a long time ago, if they ever existed in the first place."

"If that's true, then what are we marching the city for?"

The two men shrugged. "Why would King Trion pick up a bunch of loose-footed warriors from other countries to charge his own city? I don't know; Kings are queer that way."

The man on his left clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. In a few years of fighting, you'll come to see between the legends and stories and what's real. You're just a tad green around the edges right now."

He frowned, but said nothing more. He still wasn't entirely sure that what his comrades said was true, but he read between the lines. It wasn't his place, a lowly foot soldier, to question the whys of what they were doing.

"To attention!"  
  


All three of them straightened, as they watched their superior officer ahead of them. "What's going on?"

"Some ambassador or something, probably."

Then he saw it, or rather, them.

"I don't believe it," muttered the one on the right. "They actually exist?"

A woman in an orange and blue outfit strode out of the gates with a tall man in a cloak beside her. Her hair was pale gold with a red bow tying it back. She was gorgeous beyond all reckoning, though her light blue eyes were cold. Her stride was sure and purposeful and she had an earpiece over her ear, with an attached microphone hovering near her mouth.

The man next to her had shock silver hair, but not looking a day over his twenties. His armor was gold at the edges, shining in the sunlight with a scabbard at his side. He looked like someone had plucked him from the dark ages, except for the same kind of earpiece like the woman had. His eyes were a few shades darker than his hair, having a tad hint of green in them. 

"Where is your leader?" he demanded, not at all concerned with the state of the army surrounding his city.

"You may speak to me," their superior said, anger lacing his voice ever so slightly.

"We will speak only to the one that heads this army," responded the female. "You may tell him or her that the leader of the Sailor Senshi for Neo Queen Serenity I, Sailor Venus, and leader of the Earthen Kings for King Endymion, Heavenly King Kunzite, are here to negotiate your leave of our city."

His superior bristled. "Who are you to make demands? It is your city that is under siege, I might remind you."

"We do not want to hurt you," the man said, "so we might remind you that we could decimate your army with only a wave of our hand. Bring your leader to us."

"Come with me and I'll take you to him."

"No, you bring him here. We are not so foolish as to follow you into your camp of soldiers with no assurance of safety," she said steadfastly. "And I resent the implication that you think we are. You will bring him here."

He wheeled around and strode back into the camp. The two of them looked like they were willing to wait all day, but they said nothing, not to the soldiers in front of them, nor among themselves. After a few minutes, another pair, a woman in red and a man in blue joined them.

The new female had raven black hair that seemed to have a sheen of purple in it. Her outfit was predominantly light and dark reds, with a purple bow in front. Like the other woman, named Sailor Venus, she had white boots that came up to her knees. She turned and seemed to look straight at him, her violet eyes having a mixture of emotion in them. After a moment, she turned away.

Oddly enough, the man whose color was blue, didn't contrast that much against her. His eyes were blue as well, but were just a shade darker than the sky. His hair, a few shades lighter than the orange female, looked to have always been in a breeze, such was the careless yet stylish waves he had.

He leaned toward the man on his right, since the man on his left seem to have trouble seeing, so shocked was he that the stories had come true. "Who are they, do you think?"

The man on his right shook his head, to gather his wits probably. He licked his dry lips and spoke thoughtfully, though low so as not to overhear from anyone. "If my Grandmother was right and I remember correctly, the one in red is Sailor Mars and the man with her is Heavenly King Jadeite. She had all the roles and stuff memorized, but I can't remember them."

"Why did she have all the roles memorized?"

"Well, according to her, she had an grandmother that lived in Crystal Tokyo, but she died when Gran turned sixteen. My Grandmother was only five when the city rose and all, but it fascinated her so that she remembered it all her life. It had never really interested me that much, but now I wish I had paid more attention."

"Is she still alive? Can you contact her?" asked the man on his left, seemingly able to shake himself out of his stupor finally.

"I could, I think. She's still alive, yes. I'll try tonight, but tell no one else. Only you two come to my tent and I'll try to call her."

It was as well that the conversation ended there, for their superior came back, followed by the leader of the army, King Trion. They obviously knew, and just as obviously didn't like him, nor expect him.

"Good gods, Trion what do you think you're doing?" demanded the one in red.

"I've come to take back my city."

The man in blue groaned. "I believe that Neo Queen Serenity I told you that her occupation of the throne would be _temporary! In case you didn't know what that meant, temporary's definition means that it isn't permanent! As soon as the situation is resolved, you can have the throne and the Golden Crystal back."_

"Don't try to dupe me! I know that once this situation is resolved she'll stay on the throne! She's wanted it back since she stepped down to her daughter!"

"You're a fool, Trion!" the one in red retorted harshly. "Serenity I never wanted to take the throne again, once she stepped down. She was happy where she was, but she knew she had to take it back until this was resolved."

"Why march on your own city?" asked the silver man. "It would not get it back, even if it succeeded."

"Listen to me Trion," Sailor Venus said slowly, "If you march on the city and try to take it from Serenity I and King Endymion, then you won't have a city left. I won't allow you to obliterate the safety of Crystal Tokyo just to get the throne. I would rather have it destroyed than to see our people recover from a war brought on them by their own king."

"You can't destroy the city."

"Believe me, we can. There are things in the computer system that only we have access to that we put in when Neo Queen Serenity I was on the throne. It can only be activated by us, but I gladly would if you continue with this farce!" Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and her expression was not welcoming.

"Get out of my way!"

She touched the earpiece and spoke something low into it. The gates behind her slammed shut.

"They can be only opened by the computer, from the inside. You will never get in this way, Trion."

The King stared at the city before him, a hungry expression on his face. "You would destroy the city?" he murmured.

"Only if you continue with this insane march," the silver man said.

He frowned and turned away. "Come here tomorrow at noon and I will give you my answer then. I must think this through."

As soon as he was gone followed by his general, he heard the red one mutter, "Thinking? I didn't know he could. He certainly isn't acting like it."

"At ease," someone yelled as the four of them disappeared into the city, the gates closing behind them.

The man on his right beckoned them to follow him and they slipped down to his tent.

"You actually saw them?" asked the old woman on the other end of the visual call. "Which ones?"

"The red and orange one, accompanied by a man with silver hair and a man in blue."

"Have you forgotten everything I told you about them?"

"Sorry Grandma. Please tell us."

"Well, the orange female is the leader of the Sailor Senshi, Sailor Venus. She's the Soldier of Love and Beauty."

"Soldier? She's only a measly soldier?" demanded the burly man whose name he learned was Brett.

"No, no, no. The word Senshi translates to Soldier, capital 'S' on both words."

"Please go on, Grandma."

"The woman in red is her second-in-command of the Inner Senshi, Sailor Mars. She's the Soldier of Fire and War. The man in blue is her husband, Heavenly King Jadeite. The man in silver is the leader of the Earthen Kings, Heavenly King Kunzite. Now you must remember something: the Sailor Senshi are the main guardians for Neo Queen Serenity I, while the Earthen Kings are the main guardians of King Endymion."

"Somehow I don't think all the information on these warriors is public knowledge. How did your grandmother know?" asked Brett.

"Well, grandmother Naru, on my father's side of course before he moved, said she knew them before."

"Before what?"

"That's the one thing I don't know. You see, every time I got a chance to ask 'before what', something would happen and I never got an answer. So I don't know. This is much easier to tell if you give me a specific question."

"Okay," he said, next to Brett and slightly behind Jackson, who was predominantly in his grandmother's vision. "How many of them are there? My grandmother didn't know that much."

"There are eight of each. From what I was told, there are two divisions, more prominent in the Sailor Senshi. The Inner Senshi, which guard the palace and the Royal Family, and the Outer Senshi, who guard the city itself."

"You said, 'second-in-command of the Inner Senshi'?" asked Brett.

"Yes, the second-in-command to Venus of the Outer Senshi would be Sailor Uranus, Soldier of the Heavens."

"Do they each have a special name or something?"

"Yes. I already told you Venus', Mars', and Uranus'. Sailor Jupiter is the Soldier of Lightning and Protection and Sailor Mercury is the Soldier of Ice and Wisdom. Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury compose the Inner Senshi. Sailor Neptune is the Soldier of the Depths, Sailor Pluto is the Soldier of Time, and Sailor Saturn is the Soldier of Death."

"What about these Earthen Kings?"

"I don't know that much about them because grandmother Naru didn't know them that well. All I know are their names: Heavenly King Kunzite, Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite, Adamite, Cordylite, Iolite, and Rhonite. I know nothing else about them except who they're married to."

"Who would that be?" Jackson asked, his brow furrowing in thought.

"Kunzite is married to Venus, Jadeite is married to Mars, Nephrite is married to Jupiter, and Zoisite is married to Mercury. Of the Outer Senshi, Adamite is married to Uranus, Cordylite is married to Pluto, Iolite is married to Neptune, and Rhonite is married to Saturn."

He tried to think of more questions, but nothing came out. The silence stretched.

"I did hear once, and only once, from grandmother Naru about a Sailor Moon, Soldier of Purity, but she wouldn't tell me more."

"You mean you never got to ask?" Brett questioned, sitting back on his haunches.

"No, I asked, but she wouldn't tell me anything. I know a whole lot of stories about Crystal Tokyo, but I don't have the time to tell you. They're coming with my medicines now. Call me again, Jackson."

The line shut off.

"What was that about medicines, Jackson?" he asked, concerned.

"She lives in a nursing home, since mother and father died. I've been doing odd jobs and signing up in every army and stuff to try to raise the money to put her in a nice house. I've even got a friend who's a real estate agent saving this house for me to buy."

"I didn't think they could do that," Brett commented.

"They can't normally, but the house once belonged to him so he's just not putting it up for market."

"I really hope we can have the time to hear the stories," he murmured, falling on his back and staring at the flap of the tent.

"Don't get your hopes up, Baird. I don't know when this'll end and by then Grandmother might be dead," Jackson told him.

"Dead?"

"Damn, Brett, she's nearly a hundred years old!"

"How'd she live that long? Is she like a Mother Theresa?"

"No, but she did visit Crystal Tokyo once, when her father went to visit grandmother Naru before she died. I guess that might account for it. I've heard rumors that the aging process skews when you go in there. You outlive a lot of normal people."

"Lights out, people!" a call sounded. 

Brett and Baird slipped out the tent and to their separate ones that they shared with a few other soldiers.

End Part 10


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note:

This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed to Guardian4@atlantic.net. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. 

Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)

Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)

Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)

Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)

Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)

Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)

Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)

Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)

For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.

_Return of the Valkyries_

_Chapter 11_

Venus and Kunzite waited outside the city gates, as yesterday, and waited for Trion to come to them. It still amazed her that he would march on his own city. She had wanted to call the Outers, tell them what had happened, but they must be so far away since all she got was static on her earpiece. 

Every day that they were gone, it made the possibility of their deaths more likely. She nearly bit her lip, but endeavored to appear unflustered by her thoughts. Her eyes wandered over the milling troupes in front of her, seeing many seasoned warriors. A fairly young man caught her attention as he attempted to drink something that steamed even from here.

He jumped a bit and coughed, grabbing gratefully at probably a cold cup of water that another gave him with an amused look on his face. The other man was thin, similar to Zoisite, but his skin was dark though, like pale chocolate; almost a caramel color. He had three thin braids at the base of his neck that fell to his waist.

Another laughed, this one a bulky man. He was tall, nearing six feet she guessed. His muscles bulged under his shirt, making him look as if he had metal balls under his skin. He wore bracers on his wrists and heavy army boots that reached the middle of his calves. A loose jacket lay next to him. His laughter was deep and rich, carrying all the way over to her.

Kunzite caught her eye and his eyebrow rose in that peculiar way he had when he was amused by something but striving not to let it show. He sauntered over to the three, who stopped talking as soon as he moved near them.

Venus, dying to know what they might say, covertly shifted so she was close enough to hear them.

"How long have you been in Trion's army?"

The young man looked at his companions before answering. "Not very long."

"What are your names?"

"I'm Samuel Baird. My friends are Kaleb Jackson, the one on my left, and Victor Brett."

"Do you know anyone in Crystal Tokyo?"

"Well, Kaleb had a great-great-Grandmother that lived—"

The caramel colored one, Kaleb Jackson, jabbed his elbow in Samuel Baird's ribs. Kunzite's eyes sparked with interest. 

"Really? Who was your great-great-grandmother?"

With no other choice, the man hesitantly said, "Her name was Naru Osaka, Sir."

Venus fought a surprised gasp, but Kunzite's mouth dropped open a little. "Osaka Naru? She was your great-great grandmother?"

"So I've been told, but I never knew her. She passed away long before I was born, when my Grandmother was only sixteen. She lived a long time, or so I've understood. I've heard rumors that people live a long time if they live or visited Crystal Tokyo, Sir," he muttered slowly, unsure.

Kunzite motioned to her and she walked up to them quickly. "She was a very special person, Osaka Naru was. I had the good fortune to know her a long time before she died. She is held in the highest esteem in the palace, by Neo Queen Serenity I. I had not realized that she had any children that moved from Crystal Tokyo."

"Well, my great grandfather had gone to college abroad and stayed there after he married. My grandmother went to her funeral when she died, though she was only sixteen." He faltered in his words a little before continuing on, as he was unsure whether he should ask. "My Grandmother told me once that great-great-Grandmother Naru mentioned a time 'before'. What is 'before' referring to?"

She blinked in surprise. "Why, before Crystal Tokyo was created of course."

"She also mentioned, only once, a Sailor Moon. Is she one of your Senshi?"

Venus looked away. "Forget you ever heard the name of Sailor Moon. The Senshi of the Moon no longer exists." _In her place stands Neo Queen Serenity I, she thought._

"Yes, Sir."

Venus walked away with Kunzite at her side, but not before she heard Jackson mutter to Baird, "You ever mention my great-great-Grandmother again and I'll kill you."

Just then, she caught sight of Trion staring something near hatred at her. She approached him and asked, "Have you made your decision then?"

"I shall not march on MY city. The people believe in me and they will welcome me back gladly when I return. It is enough."

She nearly rolled her eyes, but suppressed it by the barest of margins. He really did have great delusions of grandeur. She was especially glad that she wouldn't have to listen to him much.

The army disbanded, Trion entering through the city gates like he was a god. Kunzite and Venus followed, gritting their teeth at his high handed way of talking to the people as if they had been praying for his return since he left. Many people, she noted, barely glanced at him or looked unconcerned when he passed. They sure missed him a lot, she thought with heavy sarcasm.

Mercury rushed them as soon as they entered the palace doors. Her face was pale and her hands shaking. Trion gave her a distasteful look and left. "What is it, Mercury?" she asked, concerned.

"I just managed to record a call from the Outers."

They ran into the computer room, ordering everyone out. Not a minute later, the other Shitennou and Senshi appeared, grim faced and worried.

The message was full of static, but the voice belonged to none other than Adamite, with his wife's voice loud in the background. There were numerous other sounds as well, but Venus could not pick them out as one definable thing apart from another. 

"Crystal Palace? Venus? Whoever's receiving this, listen up because I don't have much time. Trion is a traitor! When Princess Zoie was kidnapped, he was in the room when the kidnappers barged in. The kidnappers themselves are called the Rising Sun, intent up stirring up revolutions in various peaceful countries. Trion didn't do a damn thing when they showed up! In fact, he made a deal with them! They were to kidnap Zoie, secret her away. They then were to murder Neo Queen Serenity III, Kynthia, so that he might have free reign over the country. With no heir, he could choose a wife of his own to place on the throne. It would be the end of line of Serenity, once he killed Princess Zoie. He could marry again and have a male heir, one that would inherit the Golden Crystal, the only power left in Crystal Tokyo once the line of Serenity died out. He could make his own laws, do whatever he wanted to. 

"We've found the base, somewhere in the forests north of Crystal Tokyo. We're under fire right now, after our first attempt to rescue Princess Zoie failed. We're concerned with what they might do to the Princess now, knowing that there was a rescue attempt. But we cannot leave the base or allow them to leave, because they might be able to make another one that we cannot find. Get Trion! Keep him away from Neo Queen Serenity I and King Endymion! Whatever you do, never take his eyes off of him! And keep an eye on Queen Kynthia at all times as well! We don't know if he will continue or bring in more guards to murder his wife.

"I do not know if we will survive this next attempt to retrieve the baby princess. I can only hope this report reaches someone who is not allied to Trion. Our entire country is at stake friend, whoever is watching this. Take care. This may be the last time I speak in this world, so whoever is watching this, take a message to the Senshi and Shitennou: tell them that Kings Adamite, Cordylite, Iolite, Rhonite, and Senshi Uranus, Pluto, Neptune, and Saturn were glad to have known them, as they have become our greatest friends. And a message for Neo Queen Serenity I and King Endymion: our dear leaders, we love you and were glad to have laid our lives down for you and what you loved.

"Heavenly King Adamite, out."

Neither Venus nor any other in the room could find something to say at that moment. A few tears leaked down Mercury's face as she thought of all her beloved friends that might not come home. Mars herself looked like she was ready to burn something to ashes with just her gaze. Jupiter's fists clenched at her sides as she tried to control whatever emotions she was feeling.

Jadeite busied himself at picking the edge of his shirt, trying to blink around the filmy tears over his eyes. Zoisite began typing nonsense orders into the computer, saving data or whatnot, and trying to block out the painful emotions that threatened to break his sanity. Nephrite stared into the distance of the room, almost as he was trying to contact some other higher being and coming up short. Kunzite seemed to be the only one who could function with even the least bit of efficiency, though Venus knew that he would be crying silently in their room that night.

"Jadeite, Mars, I want you to take Neo Queen Serenity I, II, and III and King Endymion and King Helios to a secure room. Explain what we just heard, taking a copy of the message in case Serenity III doesn't believe it. Jupiter, Nephrite, I want you to put the best spies on Trion for 24/7. Mercury, Zoisite, I want you to make several copies of this message and store them in places that are completely hidden. I don't want to take the chance that Trion or one of his allies in the palace find it and destroy the only copy we have. Venus, I want to tighten security around the Royal Family, all generations, as much as possible. 

"Let's move Serenity II and King Helios from the palace immediately and install them in the hideout house that we made. We need to keep Serenity I and King Endymion here to fool Trion, unfortunately. I also want to move Serenity III to the hideout house, saying she needed a break from all the stress. Our top priority is them, but all of us need to keep an eye out for the best opportunity to expose Trion."

"I won't settle for him just being exposed, Kunzite!" Jadeite snapped, angered beyond nearly all reason. "I want him dead, after what he's put everyone through! And if the Outer Senshi and Heavenly Kings die, I want his head delivered on a platter to me!"

Venus blinked at his vehemence. She had never heard Jadeite sound so bloodthirsty before in her entire life. Apparently neither had Mars, from her incredulous look to her husband. But it seemed that the other Shitennou had, for they took his furious outburst in stride.

"Calm down, Jadeite. Once we expose him, there will be a trial and a most certain death sentence. You may get your fill of his death then."

Venus couldn't look at the indefinable expression on his face anymore and she left the room, her heart heavier than it had ever been before in her life.

End Part 11


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note:

This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed to Guardian4@atlantic.net. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. 

Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)

Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)

Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)

Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)

Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)

Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)

Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)

Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)

For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.

_Return of the Valkyries_

_Chapter 12_

Her scream echoed through the palace. There was nothing more left in life that she could believe in. She could hear nothing over the beating of her heart and remember. She could remember how she had laid her head on his breast night after night, listening to the traitorous beating of that black heart.

Arms wrapped themselves around her, but she didn't feel them. Her eyes filled with tears, shock and pain trying to rip her apart her mind. How could he betray her like that? She had always thought because her mother and grandmother had found their soulmates, she would find hers. When had things turned around to kill her?

"Kynthia, please calm down. You'll give yourself a heart attack," said a voice in concern. She recognized it as Ami, her grandmother's personal physician and friend.

She only screamed louder at the treachery of her husband.

Stinging pain on her cheek brought her from inside herself and she looked up at Rei, the black haired woman who stood over her as she knelt on the ground. "Calm yourself," she told her firmly. "Don't think you are alone in this. Our friends are out there trying to get your daughter back and they might die because of Trion's deceitfulness."

Kynthia opened her mouth but all that came out was another scream. Her eyes slammed shut, willing everything to go away and let her die in peace. Vaguely she heard, behind her, a worried male voice say, "I think the shock was too much for her. She's losing her mind, if all she can do is scream like this…"

She knelt over her husband, bleeding on the ground, and fighting back tears of anger and regret. Her hands could not heal any faster, though she was pushing it to the limits. The constant fire of enemy weapons hadn't stopped, not once in three days. It was a constant drone in her ears, something she barely noticed anymore, it was so commonplace. 

His hand came up and touched her wrist. "I love you," he whispered.

Tears fell down her face and she told him sternly, "I won't lose you, Raine. I won't, do you hear me?!"

"Saturn! Look out!"

The Soldier of Death slowly turned to see a beam of blue energy heading straight for her heart. She didn't move, only stared it down, as if by will alone she could destroy it and save her husband and friends.

_I won't stand it anymore! I won't! Nobody is going to die anymore! _Her screaming thoughts propelled her to her feet faster than any command. A flash and her glaive clenched in her fist.

"SILENT WALL!"

She didn't know if it would hold, her being so depleted power-wise, but she would never give up.

Never.

The beam grew closer at an alarming rate.

Never.

Her name screamed, but she picked out her husband's easily over the others.

Never.

Movement out of the corner of her eye, as if someone was trying to get to her.

Never.

The beam slammed into her shield.

Never.

"TRION!"

"Stop her! She'll kill herself if she doesn't stop!"

"If she confronts him…!"

"Kynthy, darling, don't do this!"

She heard nothing of her friends' or parents' voices. One name pounded in her head, filling her ears with rage. 

Her legs ran quickly through the palace and out the doors. The people of Crystal Tokyo stared at her as she passed, as if she had lost her mind. Perhaps she had, but she had damn good reason to.

Then she saw him, standing and talking with three men. One was large and looked built for war. The other two were slimmer. Their jaws dropped as she approached. It was the only warning Trion had as he turned.

Her fist slammed into his jaw with all the force of her madness and righteous anger at the betrayal.

He landed hard on his back, staring up at her as if she had grown three heads. "I hate you, Trion, and I will never forgive you for what you did," she whispered. With a quick movement, she had his weapon from the belt at his waist, a long sword that he practiced with every day.

She held it over his heart with no remorse in her eyes. He was going to die and he knew it.

End Part 12


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note:

This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed to Guardian4@atlantic.net. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. 

Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)

Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)

Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)

Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)

Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)

Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)

Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)

Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)

For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.

_Return of the Valkyries_

_Chapter 13_

She rubbed her head in a tired gesture. Venus had barely managed to dissuade Kynthia of killing her husband. Currently...detained down in extremely rarely used prison, nothing affected his vocal cords and he often yelled at the mistreatment he was getting while protesting his innocence. And while she understood Kynthia's feelings, it would be better to let him have his trial and sentence.

Mars had no doubt that he would be convicted. There was no way the Royal Family, or Crystal Tokyo, would settle for less. Unfortunately, none of the inhabitants could decide his fate. The trial would be held among the heads of states of the various countries, whether they had a treaty with Crystal Tokyo or not, with them as judges. The votes would tell his fate and if the majority agreed that he would be punished, he would be.

Kynthia herself was crying in her bedroom, hopefully successfully comforted by her mother and grandmother. Endymion and Helios, however, were busy trying to comfort the entire city of Crystal Tokyo, the people very distraught by the betrayal of their king.

The Senshi themselves weren't much better off. They had no other communication from the Outer Senshi since that one transmission. Mercury had locked herself in the security room with only Zoisite for comfort, allowing no one else to enter. Jupiter, found near constantly in the sparring area of the palace, hardly ever spoke. The only one with any success in that area was Nephrite, and only once or twice.

Venus continued like normal, but Mars suspected it was only because of Kunzite and his amazing ability to function after such a crisis. If it wasn't for him, she was sure that her leader would be weeping in her room, where there would be no one to see her and her lapse into tears.

Asnee, Roshaun, Nixie, and Keahi kept a worried watch over their grandparents. While their faith shaken by the treachery of Trion, they did not entirely understand how or why it hit the Senshi so hard and Mars couldn't explain it to them. How could she tell them that this reminded her of times in the Silver Millennium, this had happened only once and that had led to the near destruction of an entire planet, _her planet._

It didn't remind her of better times and she was concerned about how it was affecting Kynthia. She was upset as it is, but could she ever trust anyone ever again? Would she pass this distrust upon her daughter? One of the reasons that Crystal Tokyo was so prosperous was because their rulers trusted their partners and had a soft heart. Would this harden her?

"Rei?"

Mars turned to her husband, who joined on the balcony overlooking the city. They sat in silence for some time, just listening to their own breathing and the sounds of life down below them.

The intercom sputtered to life, a voice interrupting their solitude.

"Senshi, Shitennou, please come to the security room. Senshi, Shitennou, please come to the security room."

With a sigh from both of them, the tired heaves becoming one entity, she followed Jadeite out of the room.

Mercury waited for them as they congregated in front of the security room. "What is it, Mercury?" Venus asked her unenthusiastically.

She motioned them to follow her. Leading away from the security room, she guided them down to an unused room they had forgotten had been built.

Dust covered all of the floor and walls like a thick blanket, cobwebs growing in all the corners. There was no furniture in the room, nothing to muffle their footsteps. Their shoes disrupted the sleepy tranquility and sending clouds of dark dust into their nostrils and mouths.

Mercury bent down and wiped her hand over the center of the floor. Her glove came away absolutely stained black. She continued to wipe the floor around her, trying to find the pattern that etched on the crystal flooring.

And suddenly she remembered what the room used to be.

"Why did you bring us to the teleportation room, Mercury?" questioned Kunzite quietly.

This teleportation room was only for Senshi teleportation. Over the years that they had used it when Crystal Tokyo rose, it had accumulated and absorbed some magic of its own. The room fairly buzzed with magical energy that had not all dissipated over the years.

"I had a thought. We can't teleport to the Outers, but can't we use the residual magic still here to see them?"

Apparently not even Zoisite knew about this plan, such as it was, considering his wary but interested expression. Venus approached Mercury delicately. "How would we do that, Mercury? The only one that has been able to do anything like that has been Mars and she has to have the Sacred Fire."

Mercury's hopeful smile dropped away quickly. "But…can't we try?"

"How, Mercury?" demanded Jupiter. "How are we supposed to do that? This room was only meant for Senshi teleportation, not a security camera." Nephrite put his and on her shoulder to calm her down.

"Why not? It's possible," Zoisite jumped in defense of his wife. "It's entirely possible we might be able to do it."

"We would have to channel the magic through us and into Mars in order for her to create the picture," supplied the Senshi of Wisdom.

"Why me?"

"Because you are the most used to doing something like this, seeing an image from nothing. You are the one most likely not to let it drop, as you've done this before, in a certain way with your fire."

She sighed in contemplation of the idea. "I would be willing to try it, if everyone is in agreement."

"Just keep in mind, this will leave us drained when we're through," Zoisite warned.

Mars stood in the center of the room, the others forming a semicircle around her. Slowly she felt them pulling at the residual magic and feeding it to her. Her hands and tiara began to glow as it filled her with power. She moved her hands in her chant cycle, gradually trying to will the power into a form that they could see through to their friends.

After a few moments, when she had all of the power and the room no longer buzzed at all, she thrust the last of it into her chanting, hoping against hope that it would work.

Nothing happened, and Jupiter shifted restlessly. "It's not working," she muttered.

"Shh," Mars told her as the magic hung, invisibly, in front of her. It was almost as if it had a mind of its own and she could read it. It was deciding what it wanted to be. With her psychic power, she gave it a bit of a nudge of her intentions for it.

Unexpectedly, it flared with light, nearly blinding them all. It faded to near nothingness in a few seconds, leaving a hole in the air before her. 

A hole that they could see through.

Her friends crowded around her to see better, watching as the Outers fought. A bright blue beam headed for Pluto and Jupiter reflexively yelled, "Look out!"

The magic hole wavered erratically, and Mars held her breath, hoping it would stabilize. It did, after a few moments. She shot a look at the tall Senshi, who gracelessly grimaced at her error.

Jadeite gripped her arm, his eyes never straying from the picture in front of them. Rhonite didn't look so good, having the appearance as if he was on death's doorstep. Saturn, who she knew must be an emotional wreck because of it, was doing her level best to heal everyone at once, constantly flitting from one person to another. The others were busy doing what they did best: fight.

As they watched, a break in the monotonous fighting occurred. Taking advantage of it, Adamite dashed forward, using his fists to knock out a number of opponents, obviously having lost his double-bladed staff some time ago. With a cheer, the Senshi surged forward, managing to win the battle. 

Mars was no healer, but even she would have counseled to stop fighting to rest themselves as their condition left _much_ to desire. However, they continued on toward a building of what looked like two to three stories high. Stained gold walls and intimidating doors aside, it looked like an empty place to be. 

Cirocco, already powered up, slammed a beam of dark burgundy light at the oak wood that made up the heavily decorated and not all together pleasant looking front door. It held for a moment, under the weight of the on slot of power, meaning it obviously warded.

But not warded enough. It shattered to splinters into a darkened hallway, lit by nothing they could see. Since they could hear no sound, they only assumed that Iolite had made a victory cheer by his exultant expression. Almost as a tidal wave, the Senshi and Kings flowed into the building.

The picture zoomed in behind them as they entered, but abruptly cut off. Suddenly Mars felt as if someone had pulled a plug and she collapsed into the arms of her husband. She had not realized that it would take so much magic out of her. Mercury was down on her knees, looking as pale as the dust coating the floor. None of them were standing after that.

"Why'd it cut off if it was using our powers?" Nephrite demanded, much like his wife earlier.

"It was not only using our powers, drawing our magic," she replied heavily, "but also that of the magic in the this room. When one ran out, the magic in the room, it couldn't be sustained. Besides, I'm not entirely sure if we could have seen them when they entered that building. They had a ward on the door; I'd be willing to bet my temple on it."

"So?"

"Well if Cirocco's beam took a minute to break down the door, then it must be fairly strong. Such a simple spell like the one we were using would have no chance of getting around the magical security."

"Let's get some rest. When we can walk again, we'll tell Serenity and Endymion about what we saw," Kunzite suggested.

Nods around the room and they managed to stagger out and to their own private chambers.

End Chapter 13


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note:

This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed to Guardian4@atlantic.net. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. 

Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)

Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)

Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)

Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)

Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)

Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)

Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)

Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)

For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.

_Return of the Valkyries_

_Chapter 14_

Nephrite watched his wife as she paced. "How long do you think it'll take before they come back?" she asked for the umpteenth time.

"I don't know," he answered back calmly from his seat.

"They better find him guilty," she warned the air dangerously. "Because if he isn't…"

Today was the day of the trial for King Trion. Nephrite had stared at the stars for hours the other night, trying to see what the verdict would be, but they simply told him to be patient, something that he seldom considered to be a virtue.

Her pacing increased in fervor at her silent thoughts. He didn't know what to say to her, not when he was feeling the same things she was. It had been three days since their scrying in the teleportation room. Three days of tense, tainted air; infected by fear, doubt, and worry. The monarchs were no better; they were just as worried as them, only having a harder time not to show it to the people.

The demand for Trion's head was growing among the citizens as well. They demanded vengeance for the treachery. What would they do if the council decided that Trion should live, or at least not punished as severely? There would be a riot once the people found out!

"The verdict came in," Jadeite told them as he flopped down on a sofa.

"What is it?" snapped Jupiter before he could even open his mouth.

Jadeite looked so grimly enthusiastic that Nephrite had the sudden feeling he knew what they had decided. He would only be so happy if it was…

"Guilty."

"YES!" his wife crowed, thrusting a fist in the air. "What's the punishment?"

If it was possible, the King's harsh smile grew wider.

"Death."

When the verdict and punishment was relayed to the people of Crystal Tokyo, there was uproar. Out of sudden fear, the Senshi and Shitennou surrounded the Royal Family I to protect them.

But the citizens didn't pay them any attention. It was like a mass of rolling waves, the humanity cheering in unforgiving harshness for their betrayed feelings. They were…bloodthirsty for Trion's death, payment for what he did to them and Kynthia. He could see by Serenity and Endymion's pale faces that they were upset at how strong and violent feeling toward the previous King.

The eight warriors escorted them back inside.

"I never thought…" Serenity murmured, almost horrorstruck and unable to complete her sentence.

"Neither did I," replied her husband. "Neither did I."

"Your Majesties!"

They whirled as one, hearing the high-pitched voice of Jupiter's granddaughter. But her elated face dispelled any fears they might have had about assault or such.

"Yes, Captain Asnee?" responded Endymion wearily.

She looked at him for a long moment, finally taking in his haggard and sad face.

"Sir, I have good news."

"That's been in short supply lately," quipped Zoisite.

"I received a message from our scouts not ten minutes ago. A man in armor, going by the name of Cordylite, contacted them. He said to relay a communication to the palace saying, 'The Outers are coming back successful.'"

Nephrite couldn't believe his ears at first. Trion had been convicted and sentenced, and now the Outers were coming back with Princess Zoie? It was almost unbelievable.

"When did they say they would return?" asked Venus skeptically, obviously sharing his belief. "Who were your scouts?"

"The three men, Jackson, Baird, and Brett. They didn't say when they would return though."

"Hmm."

The group was silent for a moment. Finally Kunzite broke it. "Captain Asnee, I want your best guards together and ready to go in five minutes. All of the guards must be well-trained. I want a retinue standing by. The group is to go to the outpost where these three scouts are placed. Whoever it was, they must pass them first. In order to go further toward Crystal Tokyo, I want to be sure it was the Outers. Even if they are dressed similarly to us, I want to be sure. You are to ask them a simple question."

When it was relayed to her, she nodded as she cataloged it in her mind. "And the correct response, Sir?"

Venus leaned down next to her ear and whispered the answer. She nodded. "Sir." Asnee dashed away to assemble the party.

"Come on Your Majesties. Let's get you some rest. It has been a very trying day," Mercury commented with a heavy sigh.

Asnee waited next to the three men, sometimes glancing out of the corner of her eye at Jackson. Knowing the signs and having a friend like that, she knew without a doubt that Samuel Baird preferred his significant others a little more male than her. Brett shifted a lot, always scanning the horizon.

Roshaun had signed the three on as Crystal Tokyo guards shortly after the attempted siege of the city, and they had, up to the present, been invaluable assets.

"Someone's coming," Baird whispered.

Roshaun and Keahi had remained back at the palace, to continue their normal duties, so out of the four of them it was only Asnee and Nixie. The other guards made up of a fair amount of men and women numbered in the teens. Asnee was taking no chances, not with the veiled warnings from Kunzite and the others.

"Hold," Nixie called.

Eight people approached, weary in appearance and looking quite authentic of Senshi and Earthen King. But she still had to make sure. She loved her city and would not see any harm come to it while she was alive, especially if she had made a mistake; it would be doubly hard to bear.

"Who are you?"

"Sailors Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn of the Sailor Senshi for Neo Queen Serenity I," answered a woman with long green hair, "and Kings Adamite, Iolite, Cordylite, and Rhonite of the Earthen Kings for King Endymion."

"If you want to prove that you are who you say you are, answer this question," she shot back, rather gently. From their tired expressions, she couldn't bring herself to give them a hard time. "Back Before, which of the five enemies that faced the Sailor Senshi were once allies in the Silver Millennium: Queen Beryl, the Four Sisters, the Witches 5, the Amazoness Quartet, or the Animamates?"

"None," replied the woman. "It was not Queen Beryl, but rather her subordinates that were once allies: the Shitennou, Kunzite, Zoisite, Nephrite, and Jadeite. They were given a new chance at life, placed at the same age of the Senshi, into bodies that the original soul had just died in. A while after that, their comrades, Adamite, Cordylite, Iolite, and Rhonite, though never brainwashed as they died in the final battle on the outer planets, were also reborn, though they grew up as the same from childhood as the Senshi."

"Welcome back, Outers, Kings," Asnee told them with relief. "I had been warned by Kunzite to be wary of more good news as we've already had a rather large gift."

A few smiles, though more than enough were exhausted. "That's sounds like him," commented the one said to be Iolite.

"Do you have the princess?" asked Nixie immediately.

Saturn came forward, holding the baby out so Nixie could see her. However, when Nixie attempted to take the child to hold, Saturn's hands jerked back. At her shocked look, she managed an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but we'd rather she didn't leave our care, not after what we went through."

Nixie's expression cleared. "Oh. I understand, Hotaru-sama."

The eight of them stilled. "What did you call me?"

"Your name."

Suddenly the retinue and all found themselves surrounded. "As we've established our identity, perhaps you would do the same," growled Rhonite dangerously.

"What would you ask us?" replied Asnee, shaking.

"Who are you?"

"Asnee, Jupiter's granddaughter, and Nixie, Mercury's granddaughter."

"If so, answer this: When you were little, a child fell from a tree out in the yard. Who was it and what was the injury?" snapped Uranus.

"It was Camdyn who fell from the tree; he climbed too high even though I'd warned him. I was always climbing trees back them, but that was the one that I wouldn't climb. He said that he wasn't scared of it and would climb it to show me not to be afraid. Camdyn lost his footing as a branch broke halfway up. And he wasn't injured because Keahi, Roshaun, Nixie, Bronwyn, Vasanti, Brooks, and I managed to catch him."

The circle of people surrounding them immediately relaxed. "Sorry to be so suspicious," Neptune commented softly, "but we didn't know you had learned who we were."

"We should be thanking you," replied a guard. "If it hadn't been for your message about Trion, we would have never known that traitorous wretch was planning on killing Queen Serenity III. I'm very glad he's being punished."

"That was the large gift we had," jumped in another guard, this one a female. "They found the verdict and convicted him not long ago. The city was in a joyous uproar."

"What was the verdict?" asked Saturn quietly.

"Death," was her prompt reply.

Asnee noticed that the eight of them looked as pale and sad as the others back at the palace were. She didn't understand why, though. Why be sad about a criminal, a BETRAYER, getting what he deserved?

"Let's let them rest," she suggested. "They've been traveling for a long while and are probably very tired."

They simply nodded without speaking and slowly moved toward the tents that were set up for them, their thoughts obviously heavy.

End Chapter 14.

Scrying is a spell in fantasy novels that allow a mage to see something not where they are. I just thought I'd mention that if someone out there reading this doesn't read those kinds of books or didn't know what it was.


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note:

This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed to Guardian4@atlantic.net. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. 

Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)

Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)

Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)

Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)

Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)

Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)

Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)

Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)

For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.

_Return of the Valkyries_

_Chapter 15_

Baird watched him out of the corner of his eye.  He was well-built, quite muscular, and all around handsome. 

He had been watching Camdyn ever since their patrol had started back to the palace, traveling together with the other four children of the Senshi and Kings that had met them on the halfway mark. 

His hair was sandy blonde, a contrast to Baird's own dark brown, and deep green eyes that sparkled with amusement nearly every hour of the day. He smiled nearly constantly and seemed enthusiastic about learning who his grandmother and grandfather were.

That knowledge, however, when it came to Jackson, Baird, and Brett, was absolutely restricted. By order of the Senshi and Kings, they were never to tell a soul who they were. 

Camdyn caught him watching him and Baird blushed a little. He hastily averted his eyes, scanning around them. He wasn't quite sure what Camdyn was, but he wasn't taking chances with his own heart by pouring out his feelings when he wasn't sure if they would be returned.

A hand clamped down on his shoulder gently. "Hey," whispered a voice in his ear.

Samuel stumbled a bit, feeling the warm breath on his neck from the word. He looked around to make sure no one had noticed the lapse of grace. No one had. Slowly he turned to Camdyn. "Um…hey."

"Did you want to talk to me or something? You've been staring at me since Bronwyn, Vasanti, Brooks, and I joined you."

"Um…not really."

Camdyn looked at him skeptically.

Baird glanced around again, noting Bronwyn's frustration to trying to get her father to tell them what happened back at the…wherever they had been. Vasanti, which name he really liked, was busy trying to keep her head straight as Brooks was braiding her rich, dark red hair. Apparently, braiding someone's hair while moving on uneven ground was not the easiest endeavor to do by the numerous curses muttered. She kept them low, though, after her mother, Neptune, did not take kindly to cursing. She had already a sound lecture on it.

"Then why were you staring?"

He blinked, forgetting for a moment that Camdyn was so close to him, or was even there. "No reason. I just…you look remarkable like Uranus, only…more male."

The man laughed heartily. "I should hope I look more male than my grandmother."

Heads turned at his comment, the Soldier of the Heavens among them with something remarkably like a glower of her face. Baird's face turned bright red and looked down at his shoes.

"What was that, my grandson?" she asked dangerously.

With a grin, he repeated his comment.

Had she been sitting down and something flat in front of her, he knew without a doubt that she would be drumming her fingertips irritably. But deep in her eyes, from the glance he got of them before she turned around, he thought she was secretly amused by his remark.

"How did you do that?" he whispered.

"Do what?"

"Manage to say that without a single reprimand or injury? From what I've heard…" He trailed off.

Camdyn laughed again, this time lowly. "Because I'm her grandson and though she doesn't want to admit it, she's just as at fault as other grandmothers for doting on their grandkids. She loves all of us and can't help but spoil us. But she loves us so much that she lets us get away with murder most of the time. I also think that we remind her of grandpa, too, humor wise so we're in the clear in that area. Look," If it was possible, his voice got lower, "come to my tent tonight. While you might not have anything to talk about, I do."

Baird watched as he moved away and began teasing Brooks at her annoyance of the unruly hair and snarled braid.

He slipped into the tent, confused as to why Camdyn wanted to see him. What could he possibly have to say to him? They'd only just met…but that was probably why. If they'd only just met, how did one get to know another without talking?

"Sit down, let me finish this up."

There was a book in his hands, one he was writing in.

"What is that?" he asked, sitting down and making himself comfortable.

"My journal. I always keep one so I can remember what I did on this day thirty years from now."

"Oh."

After a moment, Camdyn finished and set the book away on a pack. He gave him a long measuring look. "You know, I don't believe you ever mentioned what your name was."

"Well…we never really talked before so I didn't—"

"What's your name?" he interrupted, cutting Baird off before he could continue on his explanation of why he hadn't mentioned his name.

"Samuel Baird."

"Doesn't Baird mean 'bard'?"

"I guess it does. I never really knew or bothered to look it up."

"Interesting."

"What?"

"Well, you just look like a bard to me."

"Oh." He had played a few Dungeons & Dragons games before, so he knew vaguely what a bard was. But he was unsure how a traveling minstrel related to him and how he looked.

"How long have you been working in Crystal Tokyo's guards? I don't remember seeing you before and I think I would if I'd have met you."

For some reason, Baird blushed. If he wasn't mistaken, Camdyn was FLIRTING with him. But that couldn't be possible…could it?

"Actually, Jackson, Brett, and I just signed on." He gave a rundown on the latest current events of the kingdom.

Camdyn sat in a brooding silence when he was done. "So that bastard actually planned to kill Neo Queen Serenity III? I'm just as glad he's had his death penalty. No one treats someone from a line of Serenity with so low respect and obviously hatred for her. What I can't understand is how she married him. I mean, wouldn't she have seen what an a—"

"A what?"

"Sorry, I've been conditioned. Only using curse words within reasoned was the way I was brought up," he explained.

Baird cocked his head, thinking about it. "But what if she didn't know the real him? I mean, how often do you see these movies about how the girl fell in love with the guy, but the guy she fell in love with wasn't really him? He was acting nice and all so he could get something from her like money or sex or something, you know? Maybe she thought she could change him. Or, possibly, she really did fall in love with him. As I've heard that Venus says, love doesn't discriminate between jerks and nice people."

"No, love doesn't discriminate. And I should know this, considering I grew up with Minako-sama." Again, Camdyn studied him.

"You all must have a lot of admiration for the Senshi and Kings because you always give them titles for respect."

"Well, we did grow up with them and you didn't see the things we did. They were always a strange bunch of contradictions to me when I didn't know that they were the Senshi and Kings. Like how they would be able to do some of the things they did."

"Like what?"

"Well, take my grandmother for example. Seven years ago, when I was fourteen, I had an older friend of mine. He said he was eighteen and he had a car. Well, it was raining one day and he was driving us home from school. Apparently his car wasn't all he thought it was. It was supposed to, according to the person he bought it from which WASN'T a car dealership, it had tires that would never slip in the rain, and all the good stuff about cars. But the breaks had just about given out, the car was sliding all the way down the road, and the wheel was loose as all hell.

"I had something that my grandmother had given me. It looked like a cell phone, but now I realize that it was a…kind of a communicator thing. Well, I called my mother up to tell her that there was something wrong with the car. She went hysterical and asked what she was supposed to do. I didn't think there was anyone that could do anything. But apparently the communicator thing sent a copy of the call to my grandmother because the next thing I know, there's this bright yellow sports car next to us, one that I knew was my grandmother's.

"She must have been driving near us when the call came in, but the way she managed to maneuver it in a veritable monsoon…Anyway, she pulled up beside the driver's side and her and my grandfather switched places. She climbed out through the window of her passenger side and into the open window of the driver's seat of our car! My friend, as I guess I could call him since he nearly killed me, was so scared he didn't put on any show of bravado.

"Now with the breaks nearly gone, sliding down the street, the wheel barely responding, and my grandmother's yellow sport's car next to us, she turned it onto an unused road since if we continued on our path, we would head straight into traffic. She managed, with all those problems and a near dying car, to stop it before either of us died. I don't think she would have had the reflects to do that if she hadn't been a Senshi. I thought she was a god or something for years after."

"What about your friend?" Baird whispered in fascination.

"It turned out that he wasn't eighteen, only sixteen. He had doctored his driver's license. You can take the test for a driver's license at sixteen, but you'll only have a learner's permit. He had changed his to a full one without ever taking the final test. Oh, let me tell you, he would have wished he was dead with how my grandmother and grandfather laid it down on him…! The lecture they gave him surpassed anything I have ever received in my life."

"You were really lucky."

"Tell me about it," Camdyn replied, stretching and falling down, boneless, like a large cat on the cot in his tent.

Baird looked down at him, unsure what to do next.

"Will you relax? You're as stiff as a board!"

"Well…"

"Come here."

Camdyn grabbed his arm and yanked him down next to him. "This is relaxed. What you were doing was the sole of propriety, which doesn't help to the atmosphere of friends."

"We're friends? I thought we were just acquaintances."

"I just told you nearly my life story and you say we're just acquaintances?" Camdyn laughed. "Come on, tell me about you."

Samuel ended up telling him about his entire family, and the more he talked, the more relaxed he got. He laughed along with Camdyn at things that had never seemed funny before but were now hilarious.

From what he could tell, they had been talking for nearly three hours when he finally came to himself after a long laughing bout with the sandy blonde next to him. "I should go," he said reluctantly. "We need to get some sleep."

He lifted himself stiffly onto his elbow from lying on his back for the past three hours. Just as abruptly as he had before, Camdyn dragged him back down. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked playfully.

"To my tent," he answered, surprised. "We need to get some sleep."

"We certainly do," was the reply, just before his lips descended on his.

End Chapter 6

I think you can figure out what happens from here. I know I spent a lot of time with these two in this chapter, but it was not only because I like the characters, but because it also shows the Senshi's grandchildren's view of them.


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note:

This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed to Guardian4@atlantic.net. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. 

Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)

Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)

Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)

Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)

Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)

Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)

Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)

Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)

For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.

_Return of the Valkyries_

_Chapter 16_

It was a miracle.

The second that the Outers and Kings entered the Throne Room, the tension dissolved and smiled lit the faces. Crown Princess Zoie was sleeping peacefully in Sailor Saturn's arms, the holder tired but happy.

Kynthia burst in from a side door and sprinted all out for her child, who Saturn handed over happily. Serenity and Endymion stepped down from the throne and embraced their friends. 

"I was worried about you," the old queen murmured in Uranus' ear.

"No need, Serenity. We were fine all the way through."

It took all their considerable effort not to refute this statement, as there was no point in doing so. Serenity was comforted by the reassurance, and what was there to gain by telling the truth of their injuries?

Kynthia sobbed a bit, managing to get as many thank yous in as possible while hugging her daughter tightly to her chest. Chibiusa smiled joyfully and embraced the current queen happily.

"Kynthia?"

The exuberant mother looked up at the gentle and soft tone of her grandmother. "Yes?" she whispered.

"It's time." With that, she held her staff in front of her. The Ginzuishou, changing back to a many faceted round stone, floated over to her. Automatically, her palm settled open and it hovered over it, shining quietly.

"What's going to happen to the Golden Crystal?" Asnee asked after shooing everyone else from the room.

Endymion looked at Helios. "It will be put somewhere safe until the next King of Crystal Tokyo arises, to be watched over by the Priests of Elysian."

"Elysian?"

"Yes, Elysian. The once proud kingdom of olden times, now only a city of dreams. Helios will care for it until it is time to pass on to its rightful owner."

Helios, tears in his eyes because he knew exactly what Endymion was saying, bowed and said brokenly with sobs he couldn't hide, "Yes, Your Majesty. I will care for your trust as I would my own family."

The others in the room except for Serenity, the Senshi, and Kings looked perplex at the amount of emotion, the _sadness, that made him cry. _

With foresight at all on anyone's part, the normally reserved and respectful king launched himself into Endymion's arms and held him as if his arms were steel and couldn't be moved. The man's shoulders shook a tad, but other than that, he was completely motionless.

"Helios?" questioned his wife. "What's the matter, Helios?"

Only Endymion heard him.

"She doesn't understand; she can't feel it like I do."

"She can't because she isn't connected to the Earth like we are, so close with it," the older king whispered back. "But we all know."

Helios managed to pull himself away from slightly taller man and wiped his eyes a bit. "We all know."

"What's going on?" snapped Nixie. "You act like the man's going to die!"

The white haired king managed a smile at her. "Of course they aren't going to die," he told her, but there was something in his eyes that only his wife could see that belied his words. "They're going to be around forever."

Endymion handed him the Golden Crystal, and slowly the Royal Family I and their guards left the Crystal Palace to go back to their homes in the countryside.


	17. Epilogue

This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed to Guardian4@atlantic.net. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. 

Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)

Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)

Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)

Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)

Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)

Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)

Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)

Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)

For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.

_Return of the Valkyries_

_Epilogue_

She sat on the balcony, holding her happy grandchild. Her eyes were sad, achingly sad. A figure alone, a stark contrast in her black dress against the light crystalline blue of the Tokyo Palace. 

It had been three months since their deaths, the deaths of the greatest of ever alive. They had died in their sleep, peacefully and as young looking as if they had been in their twenties. Four months after the whole fiasco of Trion and the kidnapping of Zoie. 

Chibiusa couldn't tell what Kynthia felt about Trion's execution. She hadn't mentioned him once since then and continued with her life with her daughter as usual. 

They said hindsight was 20/20, she mused. Looking back, she could see that goodbye four months ago where her husband had been crying and acting as if he would never see them again. At the time, she hadn't seen why, couldn't understand that something in his eyes when he reassured late Mercury's granddaughter that they would be fine.

He only smiled sadly when she had asked and with the heartbreaking pain on his face every time she said something, she couldn't bring herself to mention it again. It had come as a shock when Serenity I and her husband had died, peacefully sleeping. She had never once contemplated life without her mother always there. The Senshi and Kings barely lasted three weeks more before they, too, followed their friends.

They were gone, even Time Guardian Pluto, her Puu. What was she going to do without them?

Chibiusa remembered reading the will of her parents, seeing the only thing they wanted after their deaths: the entirety of Crystal Tokyo to know about Tokyo, Japan. About who the Senshi were, everything they had ever hid about them. Kynthia had started construction for a room in which to house that special box, the small chest that held the Senshi and Kings' legacy for the people.

According to the will, a Senshi or King could only open it when they returned, once they were truly needed again. Serenity II didn't want to be selfish or wish harm on her people, but she almost wished they would _be_ truly needed again, just so she could have a chance to say goodbye like Helios had.

"How did you know, Helios?" she asked, knowing he was there but not needing to see him.

"Because the Earth told me. They knew they were going to die too. Endymion told them."

"How did dad know?"

Helios came into the sunlight and out onto the balcony. "The Earth told him. The Earth has a spirit, Usa-chan, one that Endymion and myself knew intimately, him because of his previous heritage in the Silver Millennium and the Golden Crystal, and I…because I was a priest. Elysion is deep near the core of the planet and I spent most of my life there before I met you."

"Why didn't you tell me what was going to happen?"

"Because they asked me not to. They couldn't control the fact that I knew; if they could, they would have prevented me from knowing too. They just wanted to see you happy, a memory they could take with them when they left."

Kynthia came out to join them as the silence fell. Zoie strained to be picked up and her mother obliged her. 

It would be a beautiful day, Chibiusa reflected on. Perhaps it was because the Earth was rejoicing at having its King back with it again, perhaps something else. She would strive to continue her life, to bring happiness to her daughter and granddaughter because that was what she knew her mother would have wanted.

She would not have wanted her to wallow in depression over her death. But Chibiusa couldn't move on just yet.

Every inch of her a queen, she stood and called, "People of Crystal Tokyo."

They gathered around under the balcony, faces curious and sad as they were reminded of the deaths of the greatest monarchs they had ever seen by her black dress. 

"I am here to fulfill the last will and testament of my mother, Neo Queen Serenity I and of my father, King Endymion. Their wish was for you to _know._"

She detailed everything she had ever learned from her time travels, right down to her fears as a child. But she went farther back than just Before, of simply Tokyo, all the way to the Silver Millennium and the love that had started a thousand year old story. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kynthia listening avidly to all the details that she had not been privy to before.

"The Senshi died with my parents these three months past, but listen to me, people of Crystal Tokyo," she commanded as the murmurs started. "There is no need for fear. When we truly need them, in our hour of desperation, they will appear. That is their legacy for us, left by Sailor Venus and Earthen King Kunzite. They will not forsake us when we truly need them.

"But let us honor them! Let us strive to lean on _ourselves_ so that when they _do _come back home to their city, they'll be proud of what we made with what their courage dearly bought! Let us make this kingdom something to remember, a people so proud of our grand history that nothing in the world can tarnish it!" she cried, her arms thrown up wide to the heavens.

The cheers were deafening. 

"People of Crystal Tokyo," she said in a more moderate voice and slowly they silenced to listen. "_My people, we must never forget Neo Queen Serenity I and King Endymion, nor the Senshi and Kings, but we must move past them. They loved us all and let us show them our love back by living with pride and caring for anyone who steps up to our gate._

Her voice raised once more in volume. "Let us show the world that not only does Crystal Tokyo have pride in what it is and its history, but that we will never turn away anyone in need. Let us show that Crystal Tokyo's heart is as big as its pride!"

Happy roars of approval sounded loud even out into the countryside.

The End.

Well, Return of the Valkyries is finished. Don't forget to look for its sequel! You probably won't be notified about anything like it for a while yet, but you'll know something about it in around a month. Look for an end author's note in one of my other stories currently being worked on, Army of Immortals or The Last Journey.

Thank you, every fan of this story who read this far. You are the ones that really finished the story; without you're solid support, I might not have been able to make it this far. If it wasn't for you, I would probably still be stuck in Chapter 14.


End file.
